Gift of Fire
by Mr. Red Hex
Summary: When a prank on the Uchiha goes awry, Naruto's world suddenly takes a turn for the better! NarutoxKyuubixHinata DISCONTINUED
1. Fated Change

**Gift of Fire**

By: Black Saint

Hey everyone, I know you're probably wondering, _What the fuck is up with you lately? _and _You've been dropping fics left and right and then you go pick up and another one?_. Well, believe me when I say that I've asked myself those same things plenty of times, and I've always come up to the same conclusion… I must be going out of my mind! As proof of that, I'm here in the wee hours of the morning typing the first chapter to a fic I wasn't planning on _starting_ until months later. Regardless, I'm here and I will say a few things about this fic before I get started.

**1. This will be a Super!Naruto fic, but unlike my other fics, I plan to go into a lot more detail. **

**2. Anyone who reads my fics knows that I'm a sucker for Naru/Hina, but I have attempted both a Naru/Harem and a Naru/Haku. So you know that I'm open for more than the normal. As of now, I don't know the pairings other than Naru/FemKyuubi or even if I'm going to have a harem, however, if the possibility does come up, please don't get too offended if your particular pairing doesn't come up. I want this fic to be in both my safe zone as well as a bit more an adventure/challenge for my writing, and above all else, I want it to be fun!**

**3. This is the last one, more precisely, this'll probably be one of my last fics for a while, so please bear with me if my updates are slow. **

Well, I thank you for your time, and it is much appreciated, Now onward towards victory! (sorry couldn't help myself ;P)

Summary: Gifted. A term commonly used with the Hyuuga or the Uchiha, but after one faithful night involving both families, a new name will be associated with the word. That name is Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage, and inheritor of the Gift of Fire.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda…

* * *

Chapter 1: Fated Change…

* * *

'_My first month… I can't believe I already got through my first month of the shinobi academy!'_ Naruto thought happily, as he dug into his second bowl of congratulatory ramen. He was finally taking steps towards his dream! His dream of acknowledgment as a person instead of an untouchable pariah that for most of his life people thought of him as. Looking down at his reflection in the ramen broth, Naruto couldn't help but smile; he had finally taken a step in the right direction!

"Well, who would have thought someone could get so worked up over one month of school; it warms my heart to see someone taking their studies so seriously," Teuchi said from behind the shop's kitchen window. Naruto blushed a bit from embarrassment, and the old man just laughed aloud at the boy's expense before whipping him up another helping of his famous ramen.

Three bowls later, the small academy student got up from his favorite seat in the ramen stand before paying the man in coupons. It was a sad truth, but they were the only way he could afford to eat sometimes. Not that Teuchi and his daughter minded that, hell they would have let Naruto eat there freely hadn't the boy been so adamant about paying.

'_He's stubborn and forgetful too_… Naruto come back you forgot some of your coupons!" the old ramen chef thought fondly as he hollered after the blond, but it was to late, the boy had already gone speeding off like a miniature typhoon. Pocketing the small crumpled pieces of paper, Teuchi decided to just put it on the boy's tab and call it a night.

* * *

The alleys of Konohagakure had become like a second home to Naruto. He not only knew all of the shortcuts through, over, and between them, but they also offered a safe haven from the many cold glares he received when he traveled out amongst the open populace of the village. Today had been a good day in particular, because he already accomplished two of his three needs. One was his full stomach and the second was the fact that he was well on his way towards his dream.

'_Now to settle the third thing for today…_ Pranking," Naruto finished aloud before a devious smirk crossed his features. He didn't know how to explain it, maybe it was embedded in his DNA somewhere or it was his 'desperate cry for attention', but Naruto knew that nothing compared to the adrenaline rush he would feel after pulling a prank on an unsuspecting target.

Perching himself atop one of the shadowy rooftops that oversaw his secret kingdom, Naruto scanned the alleyways below with a truly foxy expression before a flicker of movement caught his attention. Turning his focus onto the scene below, Naruto watched three men in black quickly follow behind the thing that had first caught his attention and Naruto went into what he liked to call his 'prank mode'.

Compressing his chakra into a tight, nearly non-existent ball, Naruto had learned in class that day the ability, which he had perfected over years of pranking and now came almost naturally to him, was something not even most jonin could do with an incredible amount of practice. The thought of him being more skilled than most jonin made him swell with pride and with that thought in mind, he looked down into the dead-end alleyway while formulating a prank to top all of his pranks.

'_Now, what should I do? I could drop three trashcans on their heads and call it a night, but that's so boring! Maybe something like a stink bomb, but I don't have the time to prepare one without…_Hinata?" Naruto gasped out in mid thought, when he noticed the strange little girl was squeezing herself into a ball in the corner, trying to disappear from the sight of the three men surrounding her.

Remembering the girl from his first day of class, Naruto recalled that she had a timid aura and whenever anyone asked her a question, she became a stuttering heap. In his never-ending attempt to make friends and gain the recognition from everyone around him, Naruto stepped in and answered the question for her despite being completely wrong. The girl's reaction was gracious though, and Naruto figured that she was at least someone that he could befriend.

'_What is she doing here? In a dark, back-alley like this? From what I remember, she's the Hyuuga Heiress, closest thing to royalty Konoha has,'_ and as Naruto recalled silently, he turned a curious ear to the conversation below him,all ideas for making the men his newest victims vanished.

"Well, what do we have here boys? It seems that the little Hyuuga Princess wandered away from daddy's bodyguards and found herself in a heap of trouble," one of the men said, before laughing aloud at his own joke. This guy was obviously the leader, because the other two didn't have the brains to figure out when to start laughing or when to stop…

The leader soon grew irritated and his killing intent began to leak out silently around him, cutting off his companions' awkward laughing in an instance. From above, however, Naruto immediately noticed something strange about the guy as soon as he started leaking his murderous aura.

'_What's with this guy? Since when did his aura change so suddenly?'_ Naruto questioned silently while keeping his eyes peeled on the man in question. For as long as he could remember, Naruto had been able to read the moods and auras of people without as much as a second glance. It was because of this that he trusted Teuchi and Ayame, because whenever he looked at them, all he ever saw was an aura of kindness radiating from them.

However, this guy's aura was angry, chaotic, and positively reeked of horrible intentions. Watching as the aura flared up, Naruto knew from experience that the man was about to attack, so without a second thought, Naruto dropped down on the unsuspecting offender and planted his foot squarely on the back of the guy's head. The dark-haired male stumbled for a moment but his two companions quickly caught him. After quickly regaining his balance, he shrugged off his two lackeys before turning a pissed off glare onto Naruto.

'_Where the hell did this kid come from? Hey wait isn't that the Kyuubi brat…_How the hell did you sneak up on us?" the man asked, while making sure not to mention the Kyuubi or any of the unusual traits that gave Naruto. The blond just smirked, however, to hide the tightly bottled sense of excitement that he was getting from a job well done.

"I don't know, maybe because you guys' have shitty sensory awareness," Naruto fired back cockily, causing the Hyuuga Heiress to gasp at his foul language. '_Oh yeah, I forgot she's from the 'high society', only time they cuss up there is if someone gets the stick pulled from their asses,'_ Naruto joked silently as he eyed the three men in front of him.

From what he could tell by just looking at them that the leader seemed to be the only one here with any harmful intent, the other two just seemed to be followers who couldn't think for themselves. True to his assumption, the leader was the first one to try to muscle his way pass him.

"Oi gaki, this has nothing to do with you, the little Hyuuga bitch ran into me on my way home. I don't take kindly to unprovoked attacks, especially when there is no apology involved," the leader said before his two friends backed him up from the side. Naruto stared at the man the whole time he was talking, all the while reading the man's aura as he spoke.

"Well I think you're full of bullshit. There's no way someone like Hinata would run into someone purposely, and even if she ran into you accidentally, which I'm sure she didn't, she's the type of person that would try to break their back for your forgiveness," Naruto stated defiantly, despite only knowing the girl for a month. Unknowingly to Naruto, his words had lifted the downtrodden girl's spirits and boosted her low self-esteem just a little.

'_No one has ever said something like that about me. Thank you…_ Naruto-kun," Hinata uttered quietly while watching the scene in front of her rapidly unfold.

'_That damn gaki is starting to piss me off,' _the ringleader thought angrily while looking in the seven year old's eyes. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle with an inner fire like nothing he had ever seen, it was as if the brat's eyes weren't looking at him at all, but through him and into his heart. Little did he know that he was only half right…

Naruto smirked when he saw the familiar sight of uncertainty flicker across his opponent's face and aura. Now that the seeds of doubt were in his opponent's thoughts, the game of deception and misdirection would be all too easy now. Forming a quick seal, Naruto found out from a bit of after school practice that the seemingly impossible Bunshin could easily be done if he just compressed his chakra as he was doing now.

Instantly, ten Naruto appeared each flanking another's back in a bowling pin array. Locking eyes with the leader once again, Naruto's smirk widened as he and his nine other clones charged at the men. Amongst the chaos, Hinata watched silently as the clones danced merrily around the men's blows, all the while taunting the men with their casual attitudes and sly grins.

"What's with this kid? I can't tell his chakra apart from the copies!" one of the less intelligent teens cried out as he swung at another one of the clones. Growing frustrated, the leader found that trying to hit one of the Naruto's was akin to swatting a fly. A fly that was hyperactive, taunting, and knew how to push all your buttons. In fact, the clones were so distracting that neither he nor his companions noticed the near silent poofing of a Kawarimi**.**

'_How could he be this strong after only a month at the academy?'_ Hinata thought to herself as she watched the clones continue to dance around the bumbling group of men. Letting herself look onwards in awe at the boy's distraction, so much, that all thoughts of escape eluded her until she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. Instinct kicked in and Hinata inhaled deeply to scream, but a hand clamped down over her mouth.

"Whatever you do, don't scream," a familiar voice whispered quietly into her ear from behind the trashcan. Looking over her shoulder to confirm on whom it was, Hinata felt a rush of relief when her eyes met Naruto's cerulean eyes.

"Hey, go ahead and use a bit of chakra to escape onto the rooftops, I'll keep them busy while you get away," Naruto whispered before releasing the girl and watching her jump up onto the roofs without any problems. Watching the girl slip out of sight, Naruto turned back to make sure that the three stooges were still busy before figuring out what he should do next.

'_Well, it seems it's time for me to make my escape,'_ Naruto thought as he patted himself on the back for a job well done. However, as soon as he was making plans for his great escape, the chakra supporting the Bunshin unraveled, dispelling all of the clones at once. Turning his attention back to the three young men, Naruto noticed that the ringleader's aura was now a deep rage.

"That's gonna cost you dearly gaki," the dark haired male stated angrily while cracking his knuckles.

"Oh really, so you and your two cronies are gonna teach me a lesson? You couldn't even beat a pack of bunshin before their timer went out," Naruto taunted, trying desperately to distract the teenager somehow so that he could deceive or misdirect him. However, his attempt was to no avail since there wasn't a single flicker of uncertainty or doubt in the young man's aura.

"Tough words for someone who relies on tricks to fight his battles," the teen shot back, now fully focused on Naruto. The blond had no illusions that he could beat three teenagers at once, but if he could manage to distract the leader, then there was a chance he could get away.

"Hey, they fooled you didn't they?" Naruto countered while trying the seals for another Kawarimi.

'_If I can just time this right, I may be able to switch places with one of the trashcans behind them and disappear amongst a pack of clones,'_ Naruto planned as he completed his hand seals, just as the man's foot collided with his stomach.

**Thunk**

The loud clank of the leader's foot crashing into the trashcan drowned out the sound of Naruto poofing into existence. Rushing for the exit, Naruto finished the seals for his twenty Bunshin quickly surrounded him.

'_I'm home free now baby,'_ Naruto thought happily, but just as he was about to cross the threshold into the open Konoha streets, he was yanked back in by the collar. Turning his head upward, Naruto locked gazes with two menacing red eyes. Thrashing and twistingwith all his might, Naruto didn't stop struggling even as a rain of blows hit him from all directions.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of painful torture, Naruto felt himself hurled through the air like a cheap rag doll before falling into a heap of garage. Bruised, bloodied, and soaked with trash water, Naruto looked up at the three who did this to him with eyes still burning with that great inner fire. Peering directly at the group leader, Naruto made eye contact with the teenager, startling the man with the intensity in his eyes…

'_What's with those eyes? Why is it as if he's looking down on me? Judging me?'_ Hey, stop looking at me like that gaki, before I take your eyes out as well and remember this well, because this is how you will always be, trash at the feet of greatness. Nothing, not those Hyuuga bitch's eyes nor your eyes, can ever compare to the eyes of the Uchiha's Sharingan," the man said while looking down on the boy with a blazing one tomoe Sharingan.

Burning that, along with the pattern emblazoned on the group of teen's backs, Naruto stared angrily at the men's backs as they walked away, leaving him in the trash.

'_I swear that all those bastards are gonna pay,'_ Naruto swore angrily as he pulled his beaten body out of the trash. His anger was rolling off him in waves, and since no one was around to call him monster or demon, he didn't care…

At least, that's what he thought; because little did the young boy know there was another spectator at the show, one with a fully developed Sharingan and an interested glint in his eye.

_Just After Dusk…_

Naruto sat in the midst of empty ramen cups and dirty clothes going over his plan once again. On paper, it was simple: sneak in, trash the place, sneak out, but in practice it would be a whole other thing; luckily, he had all the right resources. First, he managed to catch Iruka just as he left the academy for the day. Gleaning as much knowledge he could get about the Sharingan, Naruto tried to be as vague and innocent as possible about why he was so curious about it all of a sudden. Iruka was one of the few people that gave off a trusting aura, so lying to him had turned out to be harder than Naruto thought.

'_But if he knew what I was planning to do he would go all mother hen on me,' _Naruto thought recalling the argument he and Iruka had gotten into over the bruises on his faces and arms. He had told Iruka that it was a bit of new training he was trying out, and he wasn't exactly lying, because saving Hinata had taken every bit of ninja knowledge he had learned to pull it off.

Building off step one, Naruto, with a little fast talking, got Iruka to use his teacher's clearance to pull up a few of the village's maps and schematics from the library. Studying the maps alongside Iruka was tricky, because if he seemed too interested in the Uchiha district's layout, the academy professor would know something was up. So in a round about way, Naruto began formulating the quickest path from his apartment to the Uchiha complex and back.

'_Take the alleyways there and the main road back, if someone tries to come after me I can look as innocent as possible,'_ Naruto reminded himself while changing into his stealthiest set of clothing. Even though he had scored the highest on the stealth portion of the entrance exam in the entire academy, upper classes included, he figured against an enemy that had a world-renowned doujutsu opting for full black apparel would be the best bet.

Slipping on the pants and shirt, Naruto wrapped his forearms and shins with black gauze before pulling his hood up. He was dressed in the classic ninja attire, only armed with the set of kunai he had received when passing the academy entrance exam. Despite being armed, he wasn't going there to fight anyone…

'_No these kunai have a much bigger part to play in this revenge,'_ Naruto thought as he carefully placed the few bottles of spray paint he had been saving into his outfit's hidden sleeves. Grabbing his black rucksack, Naruto then double-checked every detail of his plan down to the proverbial 'T', before making his way to the door and once he gripped the handle, trepidation finally set in.

'_Once I set foot out of this apartment, there's no turning back,'_ Naruto told himself, as a final desperate ploy of his forgotten conscious. Leaving well enough alone was his safest and most secure bet, however, if he did that then he wouldn't be Uzumaki Naruto! Reaching up to his hood, Naruto pulled the thin flap of fabric across the lower half of his face covering it behind a black veil before stepping through the threshold and into the night…

* * *

'_I finally did it! I finally hit all the bull's-eyes on Itachi-nii-san's shuriken course,' _Sasuke thought proudly as he made his way home in the night. It had been a month since he had started the academy and he was already improving rapidly. He had been faithfully working on his shuriken skills as his brother instructed and it was only a few days ago that his father had actually acknowledged him.

'_I'm a man now, and a full-fledged Uchiha capable of using the Goukakyuu no jutsu (Grand Fireball Technique). 'Father realizes that now and even said it! He even said'…_ "'As expected of my son'", Sasuke thought, uttering the last part ever so quietly as he rounded the corner into the Uchiha district. He was late, and the full moon sitting on the horizon was proof enough of that, but he was sure that his mother wouldn't mind it this once, not after she heard what he accomplished…

Whipping out his shuriken, Sasuke decided that one more volley wouldn't hurt and that it would only take a second to retrieve the lost projectiles after thrown. Scanning the area around him for suitable targets, ones worthy enough to test his skills, Sasuke spotted four telephone polls surrounding him from all four of the cardinal directions.

'_Okay just like Aniki did it,'_ Sasuke chanted before launching two shuriken in opposites directions. The first volley's trajectory was aimed wide flying directly in between two poles, however Sasuke was done yet and with unparalleled precision he fired off another volley aimed directly for the first set. The second set of shuriken flew twice as fast as the first and in perfect timing the metal stars collided with the first set altering their trajectory drastically so that instead of flying between the poles they all veered directly into a pole.

**Thunk, thunk, thunk…**

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed aloud when his gaze met that of the blue eyed shadowy figure, illuminated by the pale glow of the moon sitting on the horizon behind him. He knew that his aim was true, as he had spent much the last week breaking down the technique into a science before practicing it enough to make it almost instinct, and the blond served as a perfect explanation as to why his last shuriken missed.

'_I knew there is no way I could have missed. I would have known it before I even released the shuriken, but why is it that Naruto is dressed that way?'_ Sasuke asked before his eyes trailed after his quickly disappearing classmate. However, little did the boy know that there was another speculator watching the show, one whose eyes glinted crimson before disappearing from the scene.

* * *

'_Shit, shit, shit! I can't believe someone already saw me, and by a person who recognized me no less,'_ Naruto cursed internally as he hid in the shadows of one of the buildings.

'_I suppose it would happen eventually,'_ Naruto figured once his heart stopped racing. Everything had been going smoothly; he had managed to stay hidden from the patrolling Anbu on the rooftops by using the alleys as he planned. However, once he reached the border of the Uchiha District would the true test of his stealth begin. The closely packed building resided in the heart of the village and the alleyways that formed because of them now became a place with wider, fenced paths, completely void of all sense of cover.

In short, it was the virtual no man's land for a street rat like him…

He had taken a gamble and lost, but there was one bright side. _'Sasuke may have recognized me, but from what I know of the Uchiha clan, they don't live in one compound like the Hyuugas do, but more like have their own living district. Sasuke's father is the head of the clan, so he must live in the head's home. Now assuming that Sasuke doesn't feel the need to tell his parents that he's seen me near the complex, I'll just have to hit his house last and I may still be able to pull this off,'_ Naruto figured as he went over the timing in his head again. The times were all figurative, but if he didn't run into too many difficulties, he estimated that he would be finish with his revenge just before the sun rose.

'_Plenty of time for Sasuke-chan to fall asleep and for me to finish,'_ Naruto assured himself before breaking into his first victim's room. Opening his black rucksack, Naruto couldn't help but smirk when he opened his sleeping victim's drawer and started filling the bag up with the man's wardrobe.

_I have to make sure to thank jiji-san for getting me this bag,_ Naruto noted as the seals on the bag began to glow ever so lightly. He had gotten the bag as a birthday present from the Hokage, and it was specially sealed so that it was connected to its own summon storage system. It's intended purpose was for Naruto to store all his valuables if he ever was forced to move, or more realistically, flee his home but for now it was filling a slightly more juvenile role. Stuffing the bag with the man's clothes, Naruto chuckled as he put the underwear into a separate compartment and made his way to the next house, all the while leaving a trail of clean clothing behind him.

_Hours Later…_

'_Okay now for the hardest part yet…_ The Head's house," Naruto whispered aloud before entering the building. He had a few close calls that night touring through the Uchiha Complex, but luckily for him, he wasn't just stealthy, but sly as a fox as well. That night alone, Naruto couldn't count how many times the Henge, Bunshin, or Kawarimi had saved his ass.

'_But I do feel sorry for the guy I switched with when I ran into the Chunin walking in after duty,' _Naruto thought as he recalled the scene of a very tired shinobi walking into his bedroom to see his brother and wife in the same futon. Luckily, for Naruto, he had gone with his first instincts and used a replacement instead of a transformation. Otherwise, he may have ended up thrown against the wall by one pissed off husband.

Putting the thoughts of domestic violence aside, Naruto made sure that his chakra hadn't expanded from its compressed form. _'Because, the last thing I need is to be caught here with a trail of the clans' clean clothes behind me and all of their underwear in my backpack,'_ Naruto commented as he entered the first room.

The first thing Naruto noticed was the room was empty, which was then followed by the thought, _'How can someone live in here?'_

Surveying the room right and left, Naruto stared at the room in disbelief. It wasn't that the room was dirty; no, it was quite the opposite. The room was so clean that there were hardly any signs of life. Hadn't it been for the neatly tucked futon in the corner and the perfectly arranged cases of kunai and shuriken beside it, Naruto would have mistaken the room for a storage room or guest bedroom.

Quickly putting aside the weird feeling he was getting from the room, Naruto quickly went to work; making his way over to the closet where, once again, everything from the shirts hanging on the hangers to the row of drawers on the bottom were neatly arranged. Taking an armful of shirts and pants from the closet, Naruto threw them haphazardly on the ground in an attempt to show some semblance that life resided in the room. Now with his own lifestyle preferences abated, Naruto went to the underwear drawer to acquire more 'supplies' for his master plan.

Opening the drawer hastily, Naruto was shocked when his eyes fell on a single splash of color out of the nearly monochromatic bedroom. Plucking the orange book out from between two fan emblazoned briefs, Naruto immediately opened the brightly colored book to find that his name was the first thing he saw.

'_I'm definitely going to read this now,'_ Naruto thought to himself before pocketing the brightly colored Icha Icha Paradise in one of his hidden pockets before leaving the room in a mess.

Once all traces of the blond were gone, a figure appeared from its hiding spot along the wall. Casting his eyes over the messy floor in disgust, the man resisted the scowl that was itching its way across his face and instead turned his attention to the figure that was appearing before him.

"Has the boy been detected yet?" the figure asked, as its form flickered slightly in Itachi's eyes. Itachi felt slightly insulted when he realized that his companion was projecting his form from a remote location and that the man didn't trust him enough to meet him in person…

However, given the man's history, his trust in humanity had died along with his mortality when he plucked his brother's eyes from their sockets long ago.

"No Madara-sama, the boy is how you stated; crude as a neophyte shinobi with his execution, but cunning and perceptive as well, however, there is one exception to the information you presented to me. The boy is able to suppress his chakra to almost absolute nothingness, and had it not been for these eyes, I doubt I would have been able to react in time when he opened the door on me," Itachi reported, having bowed down to one knee while talking to the man.

"Raise my apprentice; I feel as though the boy's appearance is an omen and an ill omen at that. A fox's best traits are its cunning and trickery and this boy has obviously been blessed by the Kyuubi itself, otherwise, how would he be able to use such advanced abilities? I believe that now isn't the time to act, as acting against a fox in the midst of its vengeances has never been a wise decision," Madara uttered softly, staring the Uchiha in the eye. In the depths of the boy's obsidian gaze was the roaring flame of ambition, a trait he and his brother shared before he took his brother's light.

'_His ambition will be the death of me… _So now is not the time to proceed with our plan, patience will be our reward tonight in hopes that we will achieve victory another day," Madara finished aloud, talking to both himself and his young apprentice.

"Hai Madara-sama, I will keep an eye on the young fox for the time being. His involvement tonight was not unwarranted and I will see if I can play it to our advantage," Itachi replied before the flickering being in front of him disappeared, leaving only a residue mist of chakra in its wake.

Activating his Sharingan anew, Itachi disappeared into the walls as well, returning to his duty of monitoring the young fox once again.

* * *

A little ways away, Naruto crept up to the next room, unaware of the conversation that had transpired only a few feet behind him. However, scheming Uchiha were the last thing on his mind, instead Naruto's sole focus was his next victim. Sliding the screen door ever so quietly, Naruto entered in the likeness of a wraith by not once making a sound. However, as he made his way to the closet, Naruto peered down towards the futon to see whose room he was pillaging only to find out that he was in Sasuke's room!

A sudden wave of anxiety rushed over him as he looked down on the peacefully sleeping boy. _'Do I owe him this one passover? He has never been truly spitefully toward me, and it's because of him staying quiet that I even got this far,' _Naruto reasoned as he stared down on the sleeping Uchiha. His morals were warring once again with his natural prankster, citing that Sasuke had inadvertently protected him from being found before his plan even got started. However, the more mischievous side of him took no prisoners and Sasuke would just have to be a 'causality of war'.

'_Besides, a prank has never hurt anybody,'_ Naruto relented before swiping the boy's underwear, but it was just as he was about to move towards the boy's closet for more 'ammo' when genius struck him mid-step.

"You better appreciate this Sasuke, I'm cutting you a break," Naruto said, barely above a whisper as he dug in his backpack. Searching in the nearly limitless space seal inside his rucksack, Naruto didn't even bother suppressing the incredibly maniacal grin before stuffing his 'break' into Sasuke's empty drawers.

"There's your passover Sasuke, enjoy!"

Unfortunately, Naruto's jocund whisper was just loud enough to stir the unconscious Uchiha, and in a groggy voice Sasuke asked, "Passover… what are you doing here Itachi? Did you wander into my room by accident again?"

'_Kami-sama! I barely managed to get that henge off in time,' _Naruto ranted mentally, not trusting his voice to persuade the young Uchiha that he really was his brother. Nodding shakily, Naruto thanked Kami that it was dark; otherwise Sasuke would have seen his, otherwise aloof brother, sweating like a hog next in line for the slaughter.

"Whatever, hurry up and get out of here Aniki, or I'll tell mom you were trying to scare me with the 'eye stealing oni' bit, again," Sasuke sleepily threatened as he rolled over and went back to sleep. Letting out a breath, Naruto didn't release the henge until he was safely out of Sasuke's room and at his final destination.

'_The Uchiha Council Chamber, the room where all the ordinances of the clan are passed down from leader to follower, from elder to newborn,'_ Naruto mused, regurgitating Iruka's exact words from earlier that day. Upon entering, Naruto realized it was less secure than expected; perhaps because he was in the heart of the Uchiha Complex, the proverbial belly of the beast or because Naruto had gotten the guard that was supposed to be on duty knocked out for 'sleeping' with his brother's wife, not that he knew that of course.

Opening up his backpack, Naruto commenced in laying out all the clothes he collected in his little scavenger hunt around the compound. Noting the practically sweaty smell emitted from all of the clothes, Naruto figured that the dirty clothes somehow mixed with the clean ones for hours, giving them that hauntingly disgusting aroma.

'_Smells like shinobi's feet mixed with sweat and grim… _Absolutely perfect," Naruto finished aloud as he spread the clothes out all over the council chamber, making sure to leave no cushion, mat, or table unmarked.

'_Now for the icing on the cake,'_ Naruto added as he made his way outside. Catching the time out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw that he had about twenty minutes before the sun would rise and the Uchiha would start their day.

Acting with cautious haste, Naruto hurried to the main courtyard, all the while digging into his backpack for the side compartment that housed their underwear. Finding the spot just as he reached the main courtyard, Naruto dumped the underwear out in an unceremonious way, causing a foul smell to linger in the air. Like before, the dirty clothes had mixed with the clean, resulting in a foul smell. However, this smell, being the combination of the sweatiest part of the human body along with the thinnest piece of clothing worn on the body, was by far the foulest. The smell was so strong that only a description such as sweaty balls left out on a hot summer day, or an eleven on a scale of one to ten could attempt to describe the rancid odor.

'_Dear Kami, what have I unleashed?'_ Naruto asked humorously before pulling out a stack of explosive notes that had the kanji for 'dud' slapped over the seals in bold red ink. They had been sticking to his clothes after the bastard Uchihas threw him in the garbage, and Naruto found it only fitting that they got back to their rightful owners.

True to their labeling, the explosive tags were defective and once ignited what should have resulted in an explosion, was only a feeble sparking, barely large enough to match that of the weakest Katon jutsu. Therefore, instead of blowing the pile of fetid clothes to the sky, Naruto supposed the Uchiha would have to settle from picking their clothes in a cloud of rancid smelling smoke.

Leaving slowly burning stacks of explosive duds on the large mound of clothes, Naruto turned and left. His righteous crusade for justice was complete and with just enough time to spare for him to make it to class on time.

* * *

Fugaku was dreaming; and dreaming was a rare luxury to the aged and battle weary Uchiha Head. Maybe, it was because after awhile, the images of battles and bodies would all fade into black as the mind tries to repress his guilt manifested in gruesome images of his past, or maybe it was just because he had achieved everything thing he wanted and there was hardly anything that carried his fancy long enough to become a dream. However, the fact still remained that one the most influential man in the Uchiha loved to dream, and now a foul smell was interrupting one.

Slowly opening his eyes, Fugaku grunted when the first rays of the sun's light hit his eyes. The man surveyed the room squinting, trying his hardest to detect the source of the offending smell.

'_Cherry blossoms, no that's Mikoto. Fresh pine, no that's the new flooring, and sweaty shinobi…,Kami not again,'_ Fugaku thought as his eyes landed on the flickering light behind the door panel that blocked his room from the main courtyard. Hurrying out of bed, the man made his way to the door with his startled wife behind him. The sounds of coughing, arguing, and general chaos filtered into his room through the anti-sound seals placed on the door panels.

Reluctantly sliding the door open, the Uchiha Head nearly gagged when the thick layer of dark smoke hit his lungs full force. It was indeed the smell that had been burned into his memory by one of the Yondaime Hokage's more notorious pranks.

'_Who the hell? Why did someone burn malodorous clothing in the main courtyard?'_ Fugaku asked angrily, as he activated his Sharingan and cast his eyes over the smoky pit that had once been his atrium. Finding no strange chakra signatures through the smoke, Fugaku began to entertain the thought that this was no accident and rather a strategically thought out attack on his clan. From there, a magnitude of thoughts began surging forth for the recesses of the Head's mind ranging from as for as, '_is this a declaration of war' _and, '_who could have possibly been brave enough to attack the Uchiha?'_

With that thought in mind, Fugaku returned to his room and retrieved his formal robes; he and his family would be taking a trip to the Hokage's office…

_Meanwhile…_

Iruka surveyed the rows of students before him noticing not one, not two, but three anomalies happening all at once. Blinking once to make sure he wasn't dreaming, Iruka let out a sigh when he realized that he indeed had a seemingly calm and quiet Uzumaki Naruto, sitting in his seat peacefully while reading a small orange book that he pulled out once he completed his quiz.

'_This can't be happening. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but a docile Uzumaki Naruto is like the Kyuubi becoming Fire Country's Nation mascot!'_ Iruka ranted silently while letting out another sigh. Not only was Naruto acting strangely, but also both Sasuke and Hinata were out at the same time. It wasn't much of a connection, but as it stood, both clans heavily endorsed the ninja lifestyle for its members, and they would promptly inform the academy if one of their own were going to miss a day.

Iruka wasn't a stupid man, and so the gears in the chunin's head began to turn.

'_This is too strange; something must be up, but what?'_ Iruka asked yet again, eying Naruto curiously as the boy's face turned from tanned to red and back again. Ignoring the chromatic changes in his favorite student's pigment, Iruka tried to connect the dots on what could possibly be going on, all the while hoping that Naruto's behavior wasn't somehow linked to this anomaly.

"Iruka-san, I am here to retrieve one Uzumaki Naruto," said a voice from the doorway his and as Iruka turned, all he saw was a porcelain mask. Recognizing it as an Anbu mask, all thoughts of Naruto's innocence went flying out of his mind and he realized that whatever Naruto did was much more serious than he could have possibly thought.

Judging the man's shift in demeanor from behind his mask, the Anbu agent gave his condolences to the academy teacher in hopes to calm the man's nerves. "Do not worry Iruka-san; Uzumaki-san will not be harmed. However, he must come with me to the Hokage's office to answer a few questions on his location last night."

Gliding through the room, all eyes were on Naruto as the masked man made his way towards Naruto. He was the shinobi elite, master of his given profession, and one of the Hokage's personal soldiers, hand selected for his prowess in the shinobi arts. However, even for someone as skilled as him, predicting Konoha's most unpredictable ninja in training was still an impossibility as the Anbu's hand reached for Naruto's shoulder the blond boy 'popped', giving off a large flash of light.

'_When did he manage to complete a bunshin?'_ the man thought frantically as he switched to his other senses and searched out for the blond boy. The chaos of the panicked students made using his sense of sound and smell useless and in a last ditch effort, the Anbu focused his chakra awareness to its maximum potential only to find that the boy was still untraceable!

'_Nothing… the boy completely vanished,'_ the Anbu added as his disorientation from the improvised flash bang faded. Realizing that he had underestimated the child, the Anbu quickly switched into mission mode where he began to critically analyze the situation and devise a quick and efficient solution to the problem.

'_The target is capable of a heightened level control over the bunshin jutsu, and capable of easily creating distractions from the said jutsu…,'_ the man started as he went into autopilot while scanning the class from behind his porcelain mask. Naruto had disappeared and, with no visible change in any of his surroundings, other than a few knocked over desks from panicked craze, he didn't have much of a place to start looking from.

'_Well, all the windows and door haven't been opened or closed, so its safe to say he's still in this room,'_ Anbu listed off as he slowly began quarantining the room, breaking it into logical zones despite the chaos. This, which would have taken a normal shinobi several minutes and giving his enemy ample time to escape, was done in seconds and with a surprising flash of killing intent the whole room went still.

The students' stared wide-eyed at the man as they stood paralyzed in fear, long after he suppressed his monstrous aura. It was as if he had snuffed the energy out of all of them, leaving them as frightened as deer in front of a Katon jutsu. However, even after his little demonstration, Naruto still hadn't surfaced.

'_The boy is good, to say the least. I had planned to use enough killing intent to freeze the boy up long enough so that he would appear from wherever he is hiding, without causing most of the students to vomit or, Kami-forbid, succumb to their darker impulses,'_ the Anbu commented, not wanting to be the one to explain the Hokage why a child took their own life to free him or herself from his killing intent.

Sighing, the Anbu showed his first visible sign of frustration when he marched up to the nearest student and began to inspect him thoroughly with all his senses. The process was quick, given how unskilled the majority of the students were at concealing their chakra from him, so the Black Ops agent knew that as soon as he encountered the slightest resistance, he would find his target.

Meanwhile, Naruto stood on the far side of the room cloaked as Hinata, thanking Kami for the fact that the girl was tremendously shy and hardly noticed by anyone in the class. Spotting Iruka assisting a pale looking kunoichi, who just lost all of her breakfast thanks to the Anbu's display, Naruto looked over his options as time slipped away ceaselessly.

'_Now what do I do?' _Naruto asked, slightly shaken from the Anbu's previous display. For once, the glares from the villagers helped him, since he was now the gripping feel of killer intent, had almost become second nature to Naruto. In fact, it was because of that constant barrage of murderous intent that Naruto was able to suppress his own, and now, this ninja version of cat and mouse was heating up. Naruto began to formulate a plan of escape from the top of his head, realizing immediately that in his current position, he wouldn't be able to escape undetected.

'_Slash that, I doubt I will be able to escape from here undetected even if I was two classrooms down. This masked guy is just to good, but if I were able to get to the window…,'_ Naruto thought as his natural cunning began to fill in the blanks between getting from point 'A' to point 'B'.

Subtly, Naruto brought his hands together, feigning hand seals as the shy and defensive mechanism that Hinata hid behind when she was nervous. Releasing just enough chakra to alert the Anbu, he would have to time his jutsu just right and in perfect secession if he would have any hope of making to the window and out of the classroom.

Activating his Kawarimi just as the Anbu's descending hand touched 'Hinata', Naruto dropped his Henge and switched places with a chair from the opposite side of the room. The masked shinobi followed the trail of chakra that the jutsu left over to Naruto's current position in front of the window, with the rising sun to his back. Smirking in almost a poetic way, Naruto brought his hands together for his most practiced seal.

"Now its time for the show! Oiroke no jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)!" the young blond called as his disguised form shifted into the one described in the new book he was reading. The Anbu agent couldn't help but stare at the long legs, slender waist, and large bust that were now provocatively placed in front of him instead of Uzumaki Naruto. Feeling his defenses crumble and his strict moral code fall victim it is instinctual obligation to ogle the ravishing young lady, Anbu flew backward when the blond bombshell gave him a wink and a kiss putting the shinobi elite out like a light before escaping through the window.

Leaving a class full of traumatized children in his wake, Naruto laughed aloud as he took to the streets and headed for his back alley kingdom. _'If they want me, they'll have to catch me first,'_ Naruto thought merrily before submerging himself into the shadow of the day…

The stage had been set and the chase was on…

_Not So Shortly Afterwards…_

It had been the longest and most drawn out chase that Naruto had ever led anyone on, it had gone from the back alley slums of Konoha all the way around to the still seething Uchiha District before finally ending at the sight of Naruto's last nefarious plot.

'_The Hokage Monument…,' _Naruto thought as his eyes shifted from side to side, slanted with a cautious, yet cunning light. The boy passively eyed each of his pursuers, making sure to note each one's strengths and weaknesses for future reference, just in case they had to catch him again.

'_Not that they'd volunteer, unless ordered by the Hokage himself,'_ commented Naruto, merely staring clearly into each of the exhausted eyes of his pursers. They all had the same look of irritated awe while looking at the slightly winded child, who had led them on a death marathon worthy of Maito Gai himself before finally being cornered, or so they thought…

In a flash, Naruto's hands came together in the ram seal, and on reflex, all of his pursuers covered their eyes. Over the course of the grueling ordeal, Naruto had used that seal for a plethora of things; examples including multiple bunshin, flash bang bunshin, and his personal favorite, the Oiroke no Jutsu; it was needless to say that the retrieval team had become weary of the boy's jutsu.

'_Being confused, blinded, and blasted away by your own sexual fantasies come to life would do that to you,'_ Naruto thought jubilantly, before slipping out of yet another attempt to capture him. If it were up to him, this chase would go on all night, and with the sun still high above his head, it didn't look like they would be stopping anytime soon, or so he though…

Just as he was making his dashing escape, a hand shot out and grabbed his collar, yanking him cleanly off the ground and two feet in the air where the boy struggled humorlessly against the man's impossibly strong grip. Watching the boy continue to struggle despite its futility, the man sent a heavily suppressed dose of his killing intent directly at the blond in hopes to knock him out. The wave of emotion only served to draw Naruto's attention up to the porcelain smooth dog mask the Anbu Commander was wearing.

Paying no heed to the prestige of his captor, or the graveness of the situation he was in, Naruto continued to struggle much to the awe of men and women surrounding him and even more so to the man holding him. The temporary shock wore off before both his peers and captive noticed, and with pinpoint precision, the Anbu agent pricked the back of Naruto's neck in one skilled motion before the boy's world went black and his body went still.

'_There's no way I should have needed to use such a technique to subdue a child! The killing intent alone should have been enough to knock out a Chunin if directly aimed at them, but this kid just took it as if it was a light tap on the shoulder!'_ the Dog Anbu commented as he slung the six year old culprit onto his shoulder's before turning his gaze to his relieved comrades.

"I had to put done my Icha Icha for this? All of you need to go back to the basics if you had so much trouble catching this little guy," the Anbu Commander barked out, much to the chagrin of his peers. In truth, had the boy not been in such an open area, or distracted, the Anbu doubted that even he would have been able to catch the blond, assuming that he upheld the pretense of bringing him back unharmed.

'_Well so much for my 'break', Naruto and Kasumi will have to wait for later, as __I'm positive__ the Hokage will want to see this kid now,'_ the Anbu added with an invisible wince before disappearing in a Shunshin to the Hokage's office. Hopefully the Hokage was in a good mood; otherwise, Naruto may be in for more than the usual ass chewing and community service.

_The Hokage's Office…_

The Hokage was in no good mood. Hell, one could venture to say he was in a bad mood; however, a bad mood would be putting it lightly. No, a bad mood would be another stack of paperwork to complete or someone cutting into his 'private' relaxation time with his copy of Icha Icha Paradise, the Golden Collector's Edition. Those would have been bad moods; however, this was something far greater than just a bad mood. Someone had broken into the Uchiha Complex, vandalized the place, while at the same time humiliating almost every individual residing in the estate with the space of a night and he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew who the culprit was.

'_Kami Naruto, why did you have to pick the Uchiha of all clans! I mean any other clan would have been fine and probably would have laughed it off as a particularly unfunny joke, but the Uchiha! The Nara, the Yamanaka, the Akimichi, the Hyuuga… well maybe not the Hyuuga, but any of the others would have been fine, but the UCHIHA!' _The Hokage thought bitterly as he met the angry gaze of Uchiha Fugaku for the umpteenth time in the space of ten minutes.

The tension in the air was palpable, and the Hokage was sure if he had been anyone other than Sarutobi Sasuke, the Legendary Professor and Hero of the Second Shinobi War, he might have met an unsightly end at the hands of the angry Sharingan Lord. However, that did nothing to settle the hostile atmosphere. Fugaku was angry, not just because his house and home had been broken into and defiled, but because the Hokage had _explicitly _stated that the culprit would not undergo any physical harm.

'_The old man is too soft! The boy may be the prison for that __**thing**__, but there is no reason that he should get off with an insignificant punishment unlike the rest of us, especially for an action as inexcusable as this one!'_ the clan lord thought, rattled at the fact that the blond menace would yet again get off without so much as a scratch. He would see to it that he got his just retribution, and even if it took deliberately disobeying the Hokage himself, but the blond boy would know what it truly meant to cross the Uchiha.

Poof

The near silent sound of someone exiting a Shunshin drew Fugaku's attention away from his thoughts. Analyzing the charka signature that was subtly filling the air with the Anbu Commander's arrival, the clan lord didn't need his Sharingan to know that this man's reserves were truly massive. However, despite the man's impressive chakra supply, which he could even go as far as to say it was near a Kage level, Fugaku found that it was nothing in comparison to the amount of charka that the young blond being held up by his collar possessed.

Naruto saw the Uchiha's scrutiny and quickly regained his composure. Within moments, the incredible supply of chakra pressure had left the room, leaving an empty vacuum in its wake. Fugaku just watched the boy with thinly veiled surprise. A second ago, he had almost as much chakra as the Hokage, _in his prime_, and now he was registering as nothing more than a newborn baby.

'_No, that isn't right either. Even newborns have a chakra signature of some sort, but this boy… This boy has none! How is that possible? Even full-fledged jonin can't completely seal off their chakra signature and those that can, have either the bare minimum amount to be jonin, or they are chakra manipulation experts. This boy is neither, and yet he mastered such an advanced level of chakra manipulation that seems to be all but innate to him,'_ Fugaku deduced from just a few moments of problem solving. He could easily say that breaking down problems and rebuilding them into logical conclusions was his greatest skill, despite the years of being called a shinobi genius and his near legendary prowess on the battlefield. However, in spite of all of that, he could not figure out why this child could perform a technique no one his age, or even a decade older than him could, or should be able to perform.

The man's data crunching brought him back to the subject at hand when he recalled why he was here in the first place, and righteous fury that accompanied it. This child had somehow gotten into his home, and destroyed the place. Although reconstruct would be a simple matter of paying the right people to replace or rebuilding everything properly, the financial figures needed to back the projects would be far from it.

The damage from the fire alone would cost hundreds of thousands of ryou from the clan's treasury to repair the ancient wooden fixtures and architecture; in addition, there was the added expense of replacing the vast majority of the clan's attire. Not a pretty sight considering that most of it was custom made from special ceremonies and tailored to be some of the finest gear the great village of Konoha had to offer. All an all the boy could probably spend his whole life working the highest-class missions and never fully repay the debt, given the village's current state of prosperity.

Fiscal matters aside, there was also the problem of security that needed to be addressed. This child had broken into his home, the famed Uchiha Complex, home to the Sharingan, and the proverbial belly of the beast to all the enemies of the clan and Konoha; and he had done it without detection! The feat alone is outlandish, and something that not even the most hardened of S-ranked nukenin would attempt, no matter how drunk off power they were. However, if news of a child doing it with only one month of official training under his belt, the consequences it would bring would be far greater than a bruised ego or wallet for the Uchiha. Now with all that said, anyone with half a brain cell could see that this wasn't just the Uchiha's problem, but it was the entire population of Konoha's problem…

Activating his Sharingan, Fugaku wasted no time in turning the famed scarlet orbs onto the youth to _persuade _the boy to spill just how he managed to do the impossible; but just as he was about to enter the boy's mind and plant the first suggestive compulsive, a triad of terrors hit him.

The first was the Third Hokage's killing intent. Years of battle hardened Fugaku into a tactical mastermind who could face down some of the strongest enemies the shinobi world had to offer without even batting an eye. However, staring down a Kage he had known all his life to be the strongest man in the village, bar the Fourth, was simply too much to handle. Compounded with that, was the Anbu Commander's formidable killing intent, which was combined with the intense glare from his partially hidden Sharingan eye; Fugaku could only stare into Naruto's impassive eyes, the blond's charka signature hidden from the world and mind completely sealed behind an unreadable mask.

'_Who is this boy?'_ Fugaku asked himself rhetorically, knowing that even though the boy imprisoned Konoha's greatest monster that alone didn't explain so many of the cryptic traits the boy possessed. Honestly, the inability to read the child's mind shook him just as much, if not more than the Hokage and Anbu Commander's combined killing intent.

"My apologies Hokage-sama, Anbu-san," Fugaku stated cordially, attempting to bring some semblance of order back to himself and the meeting. He needed to regain some sort of control over the situation; the boy was guilty, that much was certain; he just needed to be patient enough for the boy to slip up and the Hokage to see through his act.

'_Now its only a matter of time, nothing can go wrong…,'_ Fugaku began contently in his head before the oaken double doors of the Hokage's Office opened, revealing the two Anbu guards stationed in front of the office, as well as the culprit behind the interruption.

'_-Now_… Why would you decide to show up, now of all times Hyuuga?" the Uchiha head spat angrily to his former teammate and rival. For all his calculatory power and deductive reasoning, Fugaku couldn't figure out for the life of him why his archrival was now standing in front of the Hokage, juxtaposed to him.

"I simply arrived at the predetermined time I set up with the Hokage himself. A problem arose last night, well before you decided to barge into the Hokage's office unannounced. Unlike _you_,however, I decided to alert the Honorable Hokage-sama that I would be dropping by to discuss the next course of action," theHyuuga Head stated while only sparing a simple glance towards his archrival, targeting the man with his piercing pale eyes. Like the Uchiha's Sharingan, the Byakugan was a mark of greatness for all who possessed it, as well a curse for the many who weren't privileged to rule it. Hyuuga Hiashi was one of those privileged few who ruled over the Byakugan, and with that power came two responsibilities.

First and foremost, his duty was to seek out and destroy anything that may harm or bring harm to the clan, while at the same time, search for anything to extend the clan's power. This was the only 'true' law of the Hyuuga so to speak, but Hiashi held a second truth dear to his heart. A law imparted to him by his deceased younger brother, a death that haunted him as if he had killed him with his very own hands. However, from that guilt came his second, self-imposed, truth…

'_Defend my precious people even if it costs me my life._' Hiashi stated firmly, passing the message through his eyes to the black-haired man beside him. Not scared at all by the look, the Uchiha wasn't cowed or frightened by the look, but instead grew much more serious than before. There was something about the situation he didn't know about, and something told him we was about to find out.

"I'm guessing that either we are involved somehow, or the Hyuuga have a message that they need the whole village to hear, otherwise it would be well within my rights to ask them to leave," Fugaku stated as he threw the Hokage a pointed look. The old man relented on his killing intent and sighed, knowing that as soon as he spoke that this situation would get even more complicated. Growing grave faced, the aged shinobi cast his eyes at the two Anbu at the door silently signaling for them to leave.

The two oaken doors swiftly closed, sealing the Uchiha and Hyuuga in a room to sort out there differences…needless to say that they were in for a long day. With the doors now shut and confirmation from the Hokage, Hiashi began to explain just why he was here at the same time with the Uchiha.

"Yesterday, at approximately an hour before dusk, one of our branch family members was assaulted while making their way back to the Hyuuga Complex. I have significant reason to believe that the assailants were of your household," Hiashi stated shortly. The Hyuuga Head spoke plainly and pulled no punches, a trait that had long since developed in the wake of his wife and brother's deaths and leaving him the burden and responsibility of running the clan on his own.

Fugaku, having dealt with the man in front of him for several years, had never once been so furious at his Hyuuga counterpart than at that very second. "This is inconceivable, totally preposterous! How dare you accuse one of my own without evidence, in front of the Hokage himself no less! Hyuuga, you have said some abhorring things to me, but this one has to be the lowest! You would _dare_ excuse my clan with such slanderous accusations, just to get ahead of my clan in the eyes of the Hokage; Hyuuga that is beyond forgivable!" the Uchiha Head finished coldly, glaring darkly at the pale man before him. Had Hiashi not been a Hyuuga and a clan lord himself, he would have feared the dark-haired lord's gaze. However, years of staring down: tyrants, nukenin, and worst of all, power-hungry bureaucrats as refined his sense of self to such a fine point that nothing short of Hokage conniption, could cause him to bat an eye.

"Are you quite finished, or will you go on longer making a fool out of yourself? What with you spouting _slanderous accusations_, and other foolish anger driven words, I was beginning to think that I would never get to finish the rest of my case," Hiashi countered coolly, throwing the Uchiha's words right back in his face, and literally dousing the Uchiha's righteous fire with a few chilling words. Watching the figurative flames dying down into angry embers, Hiashi waited silently for the angered man's compliance before continuing.

"As I was saying, I have reason to believe the assailants were of the Uchiha, because the one assaulted was my daughter." Hiashi stated tensely. The room temperature dropped a few degrees just by the man's tone. The veins around his eyes began to bulge as telltale sign of his anger and habit of dealing with those things _personally_.

"Hinata would not lie to me, not after what she's been through," the man uttered with genuine regret. He had isolated himself from his eldest after his wife died and poured himself into being the perfect Hyuuga Head, in hopes that his daughter would grow strong on her own and not ever be subject to pain of the likes he felt when he lost his Hitomi (*). That plan backfired and instead of making the girl strong, it pushed her further into her shell, so far, that any attempt he made to coax her out was met with fear and doubt.

'_That was my second great failure… I will not make a third!'_ Hiashi vowed to himself while letting the weight of his words settle on the Uchiha in front of him.

"Well, I can't argue with your source, but isn't it possible that someone tried to kidnap your daughter again? I know the wound is still fresh, but I wouldn't put it past the Cloud bastards to try again," Fugaku offered clearly, avoiding a direct confrontation with the pale man. It wasn't that he was afraid, no his years of war and life or death battles saw to that, but in the long history of rivalry, he grew to understand and even tentatively befriend the Hyuuga Head, assuming their interests didn't clash. In those long years, he could easily name the three things that the proud man truly regretted. One was the lost of his brother, two letting his wife die despite him doing the best he could to keep her, and third one was isolating his daughter. The first two were in the past, but this last regret the man could still fix and Fugaku knew that Hiashi would die before he let harm come to his daughter again.

Smirking at the thought, Fugaku could see why Hiashi was acting as he was, cold and detached, because if he hadn't, he doubt that there wouldn't be an all out war between the two clans at the moment.

"I see you've come to realize the complexity of the situation," Hiashi stated calmly, the cold fury in his voice dying down to a chilly breeze. Neither man would never truly like one another, but as far as understanding went, they were as readable to one another as two open books.

Humoring the notion for a moment, the Hokage couldn't help but find the statement true and with a flick of his wrist he motioned for Naruto to come forward. The blond timidly stepped forward, knowing for the myriad of emotions just displayed that this had blown far out of the proportions of simple revenge. Meeting Hiashi's stare and Fugaku's glare, Naruto just watched passively as the two men went back to discussing the situation with one another before it finally found its way towards his involvement.

"So you're telling me that your daughter was cornered by one of my younger, more passionate, kinsman before this _boy_ here came to her rescue and fought him off just long enough for her to escape?" Fugaku asked skeptically.

"Precisely only it wasn't just one, there were three, otherwise how else do you figure a junior member of your clan manage to subdue and replace her caretaker without her noticing?" Hiashi replied. Implications aside, both clan lords knew that the Hyuuga were stronger in both numbers and general power. Really, the only way the Uchiha even contended with them was the sole fact that the Hyuuga stalemated themselves by only teaching their main branch the full teachings of Jyuken. Add to the fact that with the main to branch family ratio being one to three, only a quarter of the clan had the potential to fully master the art. That left the Uchiha just enough room to prosper, seeing as an experienced Sharingan wielder's only competition was either an experienced main house member or a full-fledged jonin.

"So the story goes three on one, I'll believe that given your preparations to insure nothing like the botched peace signing ever happens again, that it would take more than one junior member of my clan to defeat your daughter's bodyguard as well as the element of surprise, however, how could this boy do what your guard could not?" Fugaku instigated subtly, the slight nuance in tone signified his partial acceptance of the idea. However a more rational side of his brain wanted proof.

"I never said the boy won, but from my daughter's account, he did stall them all the way up until the point where the ringleader of this soon-to-be-punished group activated his Sharingan, and apprehended the boy in the midst of his escape," Hiashi clarified, knowing that Fugaku could fill in the blanks from there.

Given Naruto's pranking precedence and current standing with the younger generation, Fugaku had no doubt in his mind that the boy had bitten off much more than he could chew when he was caught. Knowing a humiliating defeat such as that one would be unforgivable in the mind of the young blond, the Uchiha Head peered into the young boys eyes again. A glimmer of light caught Fugaku eye's as the roaring blaze that represented Naruto's indomitable spirit pushed against the confines of the blond's mortal body and threatened to engulf the Uchiha leader whole. He had, without a doubt found his proof onto who vandalized his home, as well as the disturbing fact of why he did it. The thought, however, took a back seat to another emotion, one of great relief…

It was a refreshing experience for an old, retired warrior such as him to see one so young with so much fire within him. The mere sight of it alone brought up a wistful bubble within the clan lord's chest, silently reminding him of two of the greatest people that he, and the world for that matter, ever knew.

'_The boy certainly does resemble them, both of them. I wonder… how Minato would react if he were here?'_ the Uchiha asked himself knowing that the fair and just Hokage would have only one option available to him.

"Hokage-sama, now that I fully understanding the situation, all my _personal _charges will be dropped, however, I doubt my clan will feel the same," Fugaku announced stoically. Neither his face nor his aura betrayed him, but on the inside, he was fighting against himself. His clan would want revenge, they taught him that, and he knew his clan would lend a hand to those who they favored, and utterly destroy those who crossed them. There was no getting around that fact; it was as immovable as the Hokage's Monument itself.

"To remedy the situation I propose a compromise, however, I feel neither I nor Hiashi can completely oversee its drafting as it will hold no standing within our opposing clans. Therefore, the decision must fall to the highest authority in Konoha's shinobi forces," Fugaku stated before casting a glance to his leader. What he said had been true, like the Hokage before him, he commanded the full respect and loyalty from his forces, and those who didn't comply met his full, indignant fury.

"I see…," Hokage replied simply whilst taking in a deep breath, filling his aged lungs with the rich, Kusa imported tobacco from his pipe. As any true leader, all he had was an ultimatum, one that could ostracize one, or both, of the arguing parties and create an even large schism between the two.

'_I need to be fair to both parties, while at the same time consider the circumstances that pushed the boy to act,' _the Hokage thought to himself before coming to a decision. Exhaling a plume of smoke, the Hokage called upon his weathered voice in the wake of the noxious air and pulled both the clan lords' attention to him once again.

"Taking into consideration all of the events that occurred, I feel that we are indebted to Naruto for not only stopping what could be the largest civil dispute since Madara's Uprising, but also showing us how complacent we have became. To be able to sneak into the Uchiha Complex and vandalize that place shouldn't be an easy task, especially one that an academy student can complete," the Hokage stated before pausing and casting his gaze on his audience. Both the clan lords' were listening intently, while Naruto sat in the side of the room, smug over hearing his accomplishment verbally.

"However…," the Hokage continued, "Naruto's actions were unsanctioned and treasonous at its worst and cannot go unpunished. Therefore, when tallied against the benefits of this incident, I can only see one fair and just verdict. The Hyuuga will choose the boy's punishment and method in which he can pay back all the damages he caused to the Uchiha. The guidelines should be reasonable enough so that the boy gets the best protection as he serves off his time as well as fairly compensate the Uchiha for their loss," the Hokage finished.

Thus the moods quickly changed, the two stoic lords suddenly became animated once again, hammering out the details for Naruto's work contract while the now silent boy sat on the sidelines completely dumbstruck. The smug smirk had been completely wiped off his face and it took a few seconds for his mind to reboot and figure out why he was being punished now of all times. He had done the right thing! The Hokage had said it, albeit for the wrong reasons, but it was the right thing.

Casting his gaze towards the old man in hopes of an answer, Naruto only found the man's humored expression and he realized that he wasn't getting out of this.

Read and Review

(*) Hitomi- Hiashi's deceased wife and mother to Hinata and Hanabi, as I see her, she is a gentle soul from which Hinata draws her soft-spoken nature, in contrast to the fierce determination she exhibits when pushed to the limit, which she gets from the old Hyuuga Head himself, lol. Her name means 'pupil of the eye', and I'll leave it up to you on how symbolic or important that may or may not be.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I have been having many, many changes in my life and I hate to say it but fanfic can't be my main passion; it just can't, not with college and my whole life ahead of me. Though with that said, I can still say this: I will try my absolute hardest to deliver chapters whenever I get a chance, this I swear, but for now, just tell me if you like it or not. I certainly do and I am optimistic about this one, although I doubt I'll finish anytime soon.

Not to be confused with chakra since a chakra signature is an individual's fingerprint that can be used to identify them for those who are truly a master of the art. However, in Naruto's case, which is extremely special, he already has a heighten level of control over his chakra signature because of his ability to mask and manipulate his aura, which can be considered the same thing as killing intent which is just one's aggressive use of their aura. Whether or not this plays a significant role later is up for debate, but if I'm telling you all this, then that should be hint enough. Well good day and goodnight (I can finally get some sleep).

P.S. DOAD fans, please bare with me here. That fic is not dead, just in deep hibernation. I will be resurrecting it and like a bear coming from its sleep, it will be hungry, so get your reviews ready (and flames if you must) and I will get it to you as soon as I can, but until then tell me what you think. Peace and 'til next time…

Black Saint

Completed 5/21/08

Edited 8/25/08


	2. Halcyon Daydream

**Gift of Fire**

By: Black Saint

Well hello everyone, I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. Sorry about the little cliffie, but I figured leaving you out of the loop for at least one chapter would entice you enough to stay for another, and a bit of forewarning, I plan to do that as much as possible ;). In other news, I have decided that I want to go with a harem and although the pairings are not final, I know for sure that Hinata, Ino, and Tenten will be in it along with Kyuubi. Aside from that, it's highly unlikely any other females will be added. This is because: a) all the other mainstream females are taken, b) will die or be inaccessible to start a worthwhile relationship, and c) just won't fit into the plan I have formulating in my head as we speak (truthfully its been bugging me nonstop for the past few weeks).

Well, thank you for your time, it is much appreciated, and now onward towards victory!! (because I couldn't help myself ;P)

Summary: Gifted. A term commonly used with the Hyuuga or the Uchiha, but after one faithful night involving both families, a new name will be associated with the word. That name is Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage, and inheritor of the Gift of Fire.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda…

--

Chapter 2: Halcyon Daydream…

--

'_Damn Fugaku, damn Hiashi, damn Hokage, damn waking up at 4 to work off my debt, damn…,' _Naruto muttered mentally as he vigorously swept up the fetid ashes of his most recent prank. Although saying he was angry was an understatement, Naruto couldn't bring himself to be mad at Hinata, even though he was in this mess because he had taken the time out to save her, thus inadvertently setting himself on a prank crusade to pay the Uchiha back for his humiliation.

'_Sometimes life is so unfair,'_ Naruto thought depressingly as he continued to clean the smoldering pit that was once the Uchiha's prized atrium. Naruto supposed that there was a silver lining to this situation, as he witnessed first hand the looks of utter rage on each Uchiha's face as they passed the site during their morning rounds. To make matters sweeter, none of them could lay of finger on him or they would meet the combined wrath of the Uchiha head, the Hyuuga head, and the Hokage himself.

Brandishing the last of the ashes into the complex's dumpster, Naruto made his way over to the workers quarters where he was to find his next assignment. He learned a surprising amount about the legendary Copy Nin clan within the few hours he had been working inside their walls.

Like for one, he hadn't nearly put a dent in the clan's laundry like he thought he did, or more aptly, the whole clan's laundry. He only desecrated the shinobi part of the clan's gear, and from what he learned, the vast majority of the clan had not or could not activate their Sharingan, and were either forced to adapt and become 'normal ninja', so to speak, or find other, _safer_ professions. Most chose the latter and from that choice, the lucrative Uchiha family business was born.

The majority of this business pertained to trading and using the clan's substantial amount of cloth in the shinobi and political world to make and organize business for Konoha while taking a bit of profit on the side. However, a smaller subsection of the business had been organized to employ family members to work within the clan to get each of the day-by-day duties completed without wasting money on countless servants, thus neutralizing the potential threat of spies and assassins sneaking into the clan. Too little, too late was all Naruto had to say about that last little tidbit.

Regardless, these Uchiha were the thought-oriented, savvier, and laidback Uchiha, in comparison to their battle-oriented, haughtier, and uptight brethren. Needless to say that there was a bit of friction between the two factions, and it didn't help that one half had to do the other half's laundry.

'_And somehow, I manage to find myself messing with the Uchiha's laundry yet again,'_ Naruto added scornfully as he greeted his new co-workers, who for the most part, had been rather kind to him. Probably because most of the damage Naruto had done to the warrior caste of the clan, and it helped that the majority of them were only a few years older and were looking to make some friends outside of the complex.

"So, is this all you do everyday?" Naruto asked curiously as he folded yet another pair of pink polka dotted boxers. Had he known they were the clan head's, he would have stashed some away in his storage backpack for future blackmail, but seeing as he was blissfully ignorant, Naruto handed the folded drawers to one of his new co-workers who stowed them into Fugaku's basket without another thought.

"Naw, we usually play strip poker and other stuff once we're done, but with all this mess, I doubt we'll have a free moment to play for a long time," the boy responded nonchalantly as he continued on with the salvageable amount of laundry. For once, Naruto actually felt ashamed of his actions. He had completely written off the whole clan as assholes, and now had come to find out that only a small percent were, and because of them, the majority of the clan suffered. Divining the young blonde's thoughts from his highly expressive features, the older Uchiha attempted to cheer the hyperactive kid up.

"Don't worry about it too much, we would have to go out and buy the latest clothing trends and gear for them within a month and you saved us the trouble of having to get rid of all the leftovers. Granted, you may have taken a few shirts out of the Leaf's Good Will collection box, but in the end, it saved us all the pain of having to listen to someone's bitching as we got rid of their clothes," the older Uchiha stated jokingly while his fellow brethren nodded in agreement. Instantly feeling better, Naruto turned back and started to work when he heard another offhand comment that got him thinking…

"Besides, it's not like we're in the Hyuuga Branch Family or anything. _They_ have it bad," another Uchiha added, as they loaded up the last of the laundry and prepared to distribute it throughout the complex. Looking around at the agreeing faces, Naruto's confused gazed landed on the first Uchiha who had tried to make him feel better.

"What did he…,"

"Politics kid, politics, something I doubt you're really interested in at your age. Anyways, I never got your name," the boy said as he helped Naruto with his basket as well.

"Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto, and remember it, because it's the name of your future Hokage!" the blonde replied as he followed behind the dark haired boy, ignoring some of the angrier looks he was getting from a few of his 'victims'.

"Itachi, Uchiha Itachi," the dark haired boy called back as he rounded the corner, silently beckoning Naruto to follow.

--

Sasuke couldn't believe it; he just couldn't believe it. Not only was he running late, but his brother. HIS BROTHER! The famed Uchiha Itachi, chunin at ten, jonin only months after, and finally reaching Anbu at the prodigious age of thirteen, still maintained relations with the lower house of the Uchiha, as well as the culprit behind the clothes fiasco. Deep down, Sasuke knew that a majority of disbelief came from the fact that in one day, Naruto had managed to captured the full attention of not only his father, but also his brother.

That fact alone burned hotter in Sasuke's mind than his hunger for both of their acknowledgement…

'_How can he be that carefree? Doesn't he realize how much trouble he's caused? Or better yet, the trouble he's in?! The dobe should be groveling for mercy, begging to be forgiven for the crimes he committed. And yet… he manages to walk on as if none of that fazes him,'_ Sasuke brooded silently as he watched Naruto vividly converse with his brother; and as if playing to Sasuke's ire, his father brushed by him without so much as a word, eyes fully trained on the scene in front of him.

"Buka (subordinate)! What are you doing?! It's almost eight, and you still haven't finished up yet. Your tardiness will not be tolerated, and any failure will be seen as an ineptitude on your part," Fugaku barked, his glare unwavering and his posture fully displaying his aggravated mood. It was almost shocking, to two of the three people in the hallway, to see Fugaku with anything other than a blasé attitude to that which was around him. However, to Naruto, he had seen the Uchiha Head's anger, and although he'd never admit it aloud, the old man scared the shit out of him!

Snapping up, Naruto scurried into action carrying two basketfuls of new, _clean_ linens away, barely noting Sasuke as he rushed by.

Likewise, Sasuke hardly spared more than an impassive glance for the blonde as he dashed by, his full attention was on the tense scene unfolding before him.

Although there were no words spoken, Sasuke could tell that there was a silent battle going on between his father and his elder brother. It was then that Sasuke realized that Itachi was offended by the way their father treated Naruto! The thought alone left a bitter taste in his mouth, but as the implications set in, Sasuke realized that Naruto was able to draw out a stronger reaction from both his brother and father than he, Sasuke, ever had! Albeit the reaction from his father was anger, but that did little to appease the thoughts that roaring in his mind as he continued to watch his brother and father glare at one another.

'_Both respect from __my__ brother and attention from __my_ _father… He's managed to get everything __I've__ ever wanted,'_ Sasuke contemplated bitterly as the two colossi broke off from their heated exchange and went their separate ways. He was so focused on his thoughts that the dark-haired boy hardly noticed the swishing robes making their way towards him until he heard his father calling out to him as he passed.

"You shouldn't tarry either, your progress in the shinobi arts leaves much to be desired, or should I bring up your last report card? Now quickly run along, before you are tardy to class and have wasted more of our time," Fugaku said dismissively, having drained the passion in his voice from before, as well as having completely filling himself up with apathy for that which was around him.

Feeling cold and forgotten, Sasuke tore his gaze from his father's back and made his way to his room to finish collecting his school supplies before heading off to class.

The whole academy buzzed with hushed murmuring, each of the students' gossiping about the clothing massacre's events. Exaggerated retellings of the night's events passed from one ear to the other, growing more absurd and more _obscene_ with each retelling. While the younger more naïve students focused on the cooler aspects of Naruto's feats and found them to be a great marker for what was to come from their training, the more mature students as well as the sensei were reeling from the implications of the blonde prankster's actions.

'_What now? If Naruto has shown anyone anything, I'm willing to bet on this year's graduating class that serious precautions will be implemented to ensure that it never happens again and/or that we are ready for them in the future,' _

'_How safe is our village if an academy student, the dead last at that, can sneak into one of the greatest strongholds in all of the village without being detected?!'_

'_Are we __really_ _safe from Kyuubi's wrath? Now that the child has proved himself to be just as dangerous as the fox, hell even more so, now that he has subtlety on his side (insert dry chuckle), what's stopping him from taking revenge on all of us for imprisoning him?'_

However, before any more thoughts along the same vein could be conjured, the boy in question stepped into the room, and the growing buzz of chatter suddenly died into a dead quiet, leaving only an uncomfortable blonde standing in awkward silence. Making his way down to his seat in the now buzzing silence, Naruto threw his glaze to Iruka in silent hopes that the academy instructor would save him from the tortuous scrutiny.

'_Naruto you are a handful…,'_ Iruka thought before sighing and gathering the class's attention.

"Quiet! That's better, now I know all of you have heard some retelling or another of one of your classmate's _escapades _two nights ago, so I will say this once to ensure we are perfectly clear on this subject. The event that transpired last night is officially an S-class secret," Iruka stated firmly before pausing. Sweeping his gaze across the room, Iruka laced his stare with a small amount of killing intent to get his point across.

'_And now that I'm sure everyone's listening…_So any unwarranted discussions of the subject can be considered a serious breach in protocol, and may even be considered high treason against your village," Iruka finished with a smirk. Despite the fact that all he said was indeed the truth, the Hokage nor the council would ever consider putting an academy student on trial for high treason over something as petty as gossip. However, he figured if the mere thought of more homework was more than enough to scare all but the most hardcore of busybody's from speaking, and then this would keep even the ever-talkative Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura quiet for at least a week…

True to his predictions all the class, even the dreaded duo, dropped the conversations like rotting garbage.

"Moving on, it looks like everyone is here, so why don't we start the day off with a little sparring practice," Iruka stated before ushering the class out onto the courtyard.

--

Ushering a class of thirty plus students was no easy task, regardless of what kind of teacher you are. For Iruka, this task was exceptionally difficult given the fact that he not only had an Inuzuka in his class, but also an Uzumaki as well. Naruto was a handful. Anyone older than tewlve knew that, hell anyone who had the _special_ privilege of being the target of one of his pranks knew that, but when Naruto got outside the classroom and into an environment he learned best in…

Well, this Naruto made the fun-loving, prank-pulling, _classroom_ Naruto everyone knew and loathed look like a docile and obedient student.

"Listen up students, this exercise isn't about who's the strongest, fastest, or most talented at taijutsu. This exercise is to get a good gauge of your current levels in the martial arts after a month of practice, so don't be embarrassed if you lose or don't do everything completely perfect… _We'll have more than enough time to stamp out those problems in the years to come,'_ Iruka finished to himself humorlessly as he begin watching the first match-up. It become very apparent that most of the children hadn't paid much attention during the last month of instruction, and as proof, the orderly sparring quickly dissolved into a chaotic brawl between two boys.

Breaking them up, Iruka sighed aloud before beginning a well used and rehearsed speech that teachers used even when Iruka was an academy student.

"Students, like I said, this isn't about fighting and winning, it's about judging your current skill level and finding what you need to improve on. Therefore, before we continue, I'll have to find someone… Ah Sasuke, you have been instructed in taijutsu by your clan, right?" Iruka asked the young Uchiha. Nodding absently, Sasuke stepped forward towards his instructor while his mind wandered elsewhere.

Thinking back onto the various lessons he received since he had been able to stand, Sasuke reminisced on all of the times his older brother had utterly beat the crap out of him. Itachi called it instruction, but Sasuke knew what it was. It , the painful thing Itachi liked to call "training", was in fact free shots at him without Mom's interference, and boy oh boy, did Itachi take his shots. Memories of shoulder tosses and arm bars filled the young boy's mind as he recalled the so-called instruction as Iruka so eloquently put it.

'_I can't believe I almost forgot about all those 'training exercises' I had to go through with Itachi. It's almost like we're not even related, I bet he'd never do that to __Naruto__…,''_Sasuke thought jealously, before another thought hit him. It was devious, hell it was downright evil, but completely fitting in Sasuke's mind.

"Iruka-sensei, do you mind if I pick my opponent?" Sasuke asked evenly, his voice never betraying his underlying intent.

"I don't see why not, but make sure…," Iruka started slowly as he eyed the raven-haired boy curiously, and for good reason, because Iruka didn't even finish his statement before Sasuke called out his opponent.

"Naruto, I challenge you, that's if your not too chicken buka?" Sasuke stated, smirking cockily at the younger boy, and like that, the challenge had been made. The crowd of student's 'oh'ed' softly as they focused intently on Naruto for his response and true to his nature, Naruto delivered naturally.

"Well, it seems as if captain panty pants wants to get a little revenge for last night's little _prank_, then I have no problem with that, just as long as it's okay with Iruka-sensei," Naruto shot back whilst addressing Iruka. Nobody fully understood what Naruto's comeback meant. Well, everyone except one very red Uchiha Sasuke who was seething at the public reminder of what Naruto had personally done to him.

'_I can't believe he said that aloud!'_ Sasuke thought angrily as he recalled running from room to room in search of some male underwear, given that all his drawers had been filled with varying types of panties in them.

'_I think I may have seen some of mom's!'_ Sasuke thought with a shudder before turning his attention to Iruka as well.

'_I should have seen this one coming, I miss the old days,' _Iruka thought longingly as he noted the determined gleams in both of the boys' eyes. Knowing neither would take no for an answer, Iruka decided that he'd better lay down some ground rules before letting the two go at one another.

"Okay, but remember no jutsu," Iruka said eying both of them. From the reports, Naruto had learned all three of the academy's 'graduation' jutsu in the space of a month while Sasuke was reportedly able to perform mid-ranked Katon jutsu. Neither should have been that advanced so soon, but seeing as they were, precautions had to be taken.

"And also remember this isn't about winning, it's about measuring one's capacity if you will and with that said… BEGIN," Iruka stated before stepping back and letting the boys go at it.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto charged in, he was a brawler by nature and his style reflected that. However, unlike the previous two combatants, Naruto had a plan; he figured if he could pull Sasuke into a head-to-head battle, his greater stamina would win out in the end and Sasuke would be wallowing in pity after his defeat. Iruka, nor in fact anyone, was surprised by Naruto's tactic as he did it in every spar. However, the real surprise came from when Sasuke who, despite having the best form out of everyone, charged headfirst as well instead of staying back and countering as he usually did.

Iruka sighed internally, having thought he put too much confidence in the maturity of two seven year olds, however, before he could step in, the two met and to a surprising end. Naruto's plan had been simple, but effective it was not!

As soon as Naruto came into range, he slung his fist out with all his might and backed by his momentum, the blonde was sure that the blow would be a knockout blow… if it connected. Instead, Naruto's fist met air as Sasuke stepped to the side at the last second before pushing down on Naruto's back. The blonde Uzumaki ate dirt while Sasuke landed gracefully into a basic taijutsu stance.

Picking himself up off the ground, Naruto ignored his classmate's laughter and instead clenched his fists in anger. Instantly realizing that's what the Uchiha wanted, Naruto unclenched his hands and turned to face his opponent, he would have to stick to his strategy if he wanted to win. So charging headlong again, Naruto made sure to pay attention to Sasuke's feet this time in case his raven-haired opponent tried the same trick again. Rearing back for another haymaker, Naruto made sure that Sasuke's feet weren't going anywhere, before he fully committed himself to the blow.

'_I win bas…,'_Naruto started before Sasuke's open palm met Naruto's hand. Watching in slow motion, Sasuke guided Naruto's fist across his body. The blonde could feel his center of gravity shift towards the ground yet again before a powerful counter dug into his skull. Everyone winced as the blonde's head went reeling back from the blow; even Iruka grimaced when he realized how truly advanced Sasuke's technique was. The Uchiha had managed to deflect Naruto's blow with the subtlest of guidance while at the same time positioning Naruto so that he could throw his whole force and momentum into his blow all whilst turning Naruto force against. In essence, it was as if Naruto had hit himself with all of his strength combined with Sasuke's!

Woozily, Naruto staggered backwards as his vision blurred before a hail of precise blows rained on him from the front. Not having anyway to mount an offense, Naruto tried valiantly to defend himself, but without being able to see his assailant, the best Naruto was doing was groping around in the dark.

After a bone-shattering kick to the chin lifted him off the ground and into the air, Naruto felt his consciousness fading as he landed in a graceless heap. The crowd of students erupted in noise at the display, none doubting that Sasuke would be victorious, all but one that was, and that one being the sole person to cheer the defeated blonde on.

"G-get up Naruto-kun…," a small voice uttered so lowly that no one around her could hear her say it; however, to the acutely sensitive ears of the downed blonde, the words rung in his head like a distant bell, a bell that beckoned him back into the light and back on his feet!

With agonizing slowness, Naruto climbed back up from the ground while focusing his sole intent on the back of the boy in front of him. Naruto could feel his anger boiling at the Uchiha who turned his back on him, not unlike the three who jumped him the night before, but he wouldn't let it get the best of him.

'_No, I can't fight solely off of anger, I need to focus… I need to do what Iruka-sensei said. I need to set my intention… _pound that pretty boy's face in," Naruto whispered to himself quietly as he focused solely on that goal. Everything faded away… the crowd of children; Iruka-sensei's concerned face, and even his boiling temper. All he saw was Sasuke, and the defeated look he'd have on his face once he beat the ego out of him.

"Hey 'uke-chan did you really think that would finish me off?!" Naruto called out. Turning around slowly, Sasuke's face glowed in anger as he eyed the beaten and bloodied blonde.

"Who are you trying to impress buka?! Everyone knows you've lost, you're just too stubborn to give up!" Sasuke shouted hoping that the blonde would just give up.

"That's what makes me Uzumaki Naruto! Besides, if you could hit harder than Sakura, I probably would stay down," Naruto shot back and just like that, Sasuke's anger erupted and the black haired boy charged Naruto.

The blonde didn't even charge, he just watched with an impassive and condescending gaze, further infuriating Sasuke, but just as he was about to come into range, Sasuke saw Naruto's eyes change. Not the type of change a defenseless target should have as they watched their assailant descend upon them. No, Naruto's eyes glinted dangerously, invoking a reaction Sasuke hadn't expected…

A reaction only Itachi had brought up in him whenever they sparred together…

Faulting ever so slightly when he realized the comparison, Sasuke couldn't even mount a defense when Naruto's fist came crashing into his face!

Watching the Uchiha stumble backward and try to regain his bearings, Naruto pressed his advantage. Darting in quickly and with good form, Naruto threw a tight and concise haymaker towards Sasuke's head, one that the Uchiha had perfectly read, or so he thought…

Weaving his head to the side of the powerful straight that was looking to take his head off, Sasuke didn't even see Naruto's hook come crashing into his temple, knocking him off his feet and towards the ground. Out of pure instinct, the Uchiha caught himself at the last moment and managed to pull himself into a roll and put some distance between him and Naruto.

'_What the hell?! I'm sure I read his punch perfectly, but then how was it that it just disappeared at the last second?'_ Sasuke asked angrily as he watched Naruto slowly turn and face him. No emotions were displayed on Naruto face, other than the same dangerous glint that decorated his eyes. Rising slowly, Sasuke could tell Naruto was beckoning him to his feet so that they could continue their 'spar'.

'_It was a fluke; it had to be a fluke, I just have to stay on the defensive and find another opening like the one before, so I can finish this,'_ Sasuke concluded rationally as he watched Naruto charge in before dipping down for a rising uppercut.

Shifting his balance backwards, Sasuke could only watch in shock as Naruto's motions disappeared again and instead of coming up for a powerful punch, Naruto swept his feet from under him. Still in mid-air, Sasuke watched as Naruto twisted in a flurry of movement, throwing his whole weight into yet another haymaker. Sasuke threw up his guard to defend himself from the power punch aimed for his stomach, when like before, his predictions unraveled themselves before coming to fruition and Naruto's fist dug deeply into his chin.

Landing in a graceless heap, Sasuke tried to ignore the crowd chanting for him to get up while he glared angrily at the blonde in front of him.

'_How is this possible?! Naruto isn't fast, skilled, or intelligent enough to completely fool my predictions, let alone beat me! It has to be some kind of trick or_…," but Sasuke's train of thought stopped when his fan-girls in the crowd began to chant genjutsu and accused Naruto of cheating.

The tactful and impassive gaze fell from Naruto's eyes, as he looked around bewildered at the mob of fan-girls. Pleading his case weakly, Naruto thanked Kami for Iruka, otherwise he feared the mob may have turned violent.

"Quiet! I'm certain Naruto didn't use a genjutsu, because…,"

"How can you be so sure Iruka-sensei? I mean the dead last shouldn't even stand a chance against first place," a certain indignant pink-haired student cut in before Iruka could finish what he was saying. The fan-girls all agreed and the mob began protesting once again. Biting his tongue, Iruka restrained a few choice words for the mindless mob and sighed as he collected his thoughts.

"Naruto didn't use any genjutsu, or any jutsu for that matter, because one he didn't use any hand seals and two there was no molding of chakra necessary to execute a seal-less jutsu. However, Sasuke's suddenly lack of defense is disturbing, but is nothing less than his own inability to defend himself," Iruka stated authoritatively, leaving no room for argument from anyone.

'_Although Naruto's ability to use his ki (killing intent) to project false images is a little suspicious, although I didn't sense any leakage from the seal,'_ Iruka added silently knowing the words 'killing intent' would just insight another riot from the Uchiha's fan-girls.

"Sasuke, I hope you take what I said to heart, you controlled the spar in the beginning and instead of finishing Naruto off quickly, you allowed your anger to take control and by the time you regained your head the match was already over," Iruka lectured to the boy.

"Yes Iruka-sensei," was all Sasuke could say as his anger stewed. Knowing that this defeat was in fact humbling, Iruka left Sasuke to brood a bit, knowing that anything else may be taken the wrong way. Turning to Naruto, who was looking pretty happy with himself, Iruka managed to suppress the urge to smile before he proceeded to burst Naruto's bubble.

"Despite your victory Naruto, your form and execution were severely lacking in the beginning of the spar, and hadn't Sasuke lost focus like he did, you would have been the one defeated," Iruka said, slightly annoyed that there was a loud chorus of 'yeah's' from Sasuke's fan-girls.

"However, all of those improved during the later part of the match, so all I can say is keep up the good work," Iruka finished, feeling good about sticking it to the fan-girls while throwing his favorite student a bone.

"But-but-but, Naruto must have cheated since there is no way Sasuke-kun would freeze like that after dominating the spar for so long…," Sakura, leader of the fan-girl nation, sputtered out to Iruka after he complimented Naruto. Not only had her crush been crushed, but by the dobe nonetheless. It was unbelievable; he must have cheated!

"Look Sakura, I really don't want to explain all that went on during the spar, but trust me when I say that _Naruto did not cheat_. You, and this goes for everyone here, need to be reminded that no one, and I mean no one, is infallible. That type of thinking can lose you more than a spar, it can cost you your life," Iruka finished sternly while looking directly into Sakura's eyes. The pink-haired girl nodded weakly and Iruka knew he had gotten his point across, but just in case it didn't…

"Therefore, since Sakura was so selfless in volunteering for the next match, I suppose I should pick her opponent. Kiba, could you make your way to the ring, please?" Iruka asked innocently, despite the incredulous look from Sakura.

The feral boy just grinned.

--

"… And that's when I broke your brother's jaw!!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he repeated the story of his upset victory over Sasuke to Itachi. The older Uchiha controlled himself well, because a lesser man would have chuckled at the amusing antics of his brother trying to take Naruto's head off.

"Why don't you tell him about the part where I gave you a concussion?" Sasuke asked heatedly, while rubbing the bandages around his jaw. He was still reeling from the blow, and even more so from the 'talk' he had gotten from his father when he had to explain why he had a broken jaw in the first place. His father figured that since he had to take time out of his schedule to pay for both his and Naruto's medical fees, that Sasuke would have to take time out of his schedule to escort Naruto to and from the Higurashi residence as well.

The Higurashi's were, and had always been, the village's leading suppliers in shinobi equipment, even from as far back as Itachi's childhood; and as such they had a very lucrative deal with the Uchiha in exchange for top of the line shinobi equipment, equipment that Naruto had broken two nights prior…

Naruto, for his part, wasn't enthusiastic for being forced into manual labor right after class let out, but he knew it was much better than the alternative of being left to fend for himself with the Hokage's contract protecting him.

'_Wow, this place is big,'_ Naruto thought, stunned as he stared at the whole two-story building in front of him. The place was as wide as two of the houses beside it combined and had a giant chimney that was spewing smoke at an alarming rate.

"It seems Tenchi-san is working in the forge," Itachi murmured softly as they entered the house. The first floor was the shop itself and weapons upon weapons were stacked on the shelves, spanning from wall to wall. As they made their way to the counter, Naruto looked up from the weapons he had been admiring and saw a bored-looking girl around his age idly looking at a weapon's catalogue.

"I wonder how much time it would take to make that… Now I know I can make that… Jeeze, they're out of their minds if they think we'll pay that much to import those!" the girl said sporadically. She hadn't noticed any of the boys, or the fact that she was talking to herself aloud and making hand gestures, well at least until Naruto started laughing. Startled, the now embarrassed girl glowed red before recovering and putting her catalogue away.

"Higurashi Tenten at your service. I hope you've found what you're looking for," the girl regurgitated automatically as she looked over each one of her customers.

"How much does that cost?" Naruto asked, while pointing at the scabbarded chokuto on the wall. The blade was all the way at the top and had no price above it, so Naruto figured he may be able to get it for free once they found out he was going to be working here.

"Sorry, that particular chokuto isn't for sale. My daddy made it a very long time ago for a friend, but his friend died before he ever got a chance to use it," Tenten said sadly, as if recalling a distance memory.

"Oh I didn't…,"

"No worries, that's all in the past, so is there anything else I can help you with?" Tenten asked after brightening instantly.

"Yes, we're here to drop him off, it's his first day of work," Itachi cut in, not wanting to take another trip down memory lane because of Naruto's questions. The said blonde stuck his tongue out at the older Uchiha for ruining his fun but was quickly reprimanded for it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, especially in a place with so many sharp objects. I've known Itachi-kun here to take limbs for less," a voice called out from around the corner. Turning the corner with a grin on his face and a hammer over his shoulder was the owner and operator of the shop, Higurashi Tenchi, and boy was he big. Not just tall, but hulking as well. From shoulder to shoulder the man was wider than Naruto, Sasuke, and Itachi put together!

Heaving his protesting daughter onto one of his monstrous shoulders, the tall man let out a boisterous laugh as he recalled a time when his daughter used to love taking rides on his shoulders. Turning towards the trio with his, now pouting, daughter on his shoulder, Tenchi greeted each of them with an eager nod and a beaming grin.

"Welcome! I already know Itachi-kun and judging by the hair color, this must be little Sasuke and Naruto, right?" the giant asked while pointing from boy to boy. Nodding, the two just stood there silently as the man laughed, once again praising himself for his deductive skills.

"Well, now that that's solved I guess little Naruto-kun will be coming with me and you and little Sasuke-kun here will be leaving?" Tenchi asked Itachi as his laughter died and he placed his daughter back on her seat.

"Yes, and we'll be back at 7 to pick him up," Itachi stated before turning and leaving, silently beckoning his brother to follow. Once the Uchiha brothers were gone, Tenchi looked Naruto up and down, making inaudible sounds as he circled the boy before finally stopping in the exact place he started.

"You're perfect! A little on the scrawny and short side…,"

"Hey! I'm not short, just haven't hit my growth spurt yet," Naruto shot back indignantly, invoking another round of laughter from Tenchi.

"Okay, a little on the scrawny and _petite_ side, but perfect none the less. You shouldn't have any trouble lifting the weapons and moving them from place to place," Tenchi finished casually as he turned to make his way back down into the basement, aka the forge.

"Is that all I'll be doing? Moving things from place to place?" Naruto asked curiously, both happy that the job may be easy and a little dejected that it would be boring if so.

"No, no that's just the most strenuous thing you'll be doing. There's plenty of stuff to do, like polishing weapons, prepping the water for cooling, and maintaining the fires for the forge. Believe me, moving weapons will seem like a break compared to all the stuff I'll have you doing," Tenchi called from over his shoulder as he descended the stairwell.

"Ten-chan, get him started with some of the little stuff, then work him up, okay dear," the boisterous man called from the cellar, leaving his daughter with Naruto to man the shop.

"He forgot to mention sweeping, gathering all the raw ore, and cleaning up after his messes as well," Tenten added exasperatedly before turning her gaze to Naruto.

"Is he always like that?" the blonde asked playfully, invoking a giggle from the bun-haired girl.

"Yeah, but he means well. He's been like that ever since mom died," Tenten said softly, that same far off look coming back to her eyes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to…,"

"Again, it's nothing, sorry I just get like that sometimes, but anyways let's get to work before he comes back up here and starts talking again. I swear, that has to be the worst punishment ever, death by talking or embarrassing stories," Tenten cut in joyously before she picked up a broom and handed one to Naruto.

The two talked about a lot as they worked throughout the shop, and honestly, Naruto learned a lot more about weapons that he had either missed while pulling pranks, or just never paid enough attention to, to notice. Time went by faster than either of them realized, and by the time seven rolled around, both Naruto and Tenten were covered with soot and laughing at the latest prank Naruto pulled.

"I can't believe you put that much flash powder on my dad's mallet, he's going to be seeing stars for a week," Tenten exclaimed, happily before both of them erupted in a fit of giggles again.

"Yeah, I thought your dad was going to be mad there for a second, but he just laughed it off and made us clean out the furnace," Naruto added, as they made their way out of the kitchen and into the shop.

"So that explains the soot on your nose," Itachi called out, startling both children as they continued to joke with one another behind the counter.

"I'll get it Naruto-kun," Tenten said happily as she swiped at Naruto's nose playfully.

"Thanks, but I was sure I got it all," Naruto grumbled quietly as he made his way over to the Uchiha brothers and out of the shop.

"Bye Tenten-chan, see you tomorrow," Naruto cried over his shoulder as he rounded out the door and followed after Itachi's retreating form.

"Well, it seems you and Tenten are good 'friends'," Itachi said casually as Naruto tried to jibe Sasuke into hitting him.

"You kidding, she's the best!" Naruto exclaimed, not catching Itachi's hidden meaning.

--

Entering the Uchiha complex did nothing to bring down Naruto's good mood, despite all of the glares he was receiving. He had somewhere other than Ichiraku's and school where he wasn't constantly glared at and ignored, and that was more than enough to put him at an untouchable high. Whether that was a good or a bad thing was debatable, especially when Itachi introduced the duo as Naruto got a look at them.

"Naruto-kun, I'd like you to meet Ibiki-san and Anko-chan, you'll be working with them as a part of your contract," Itachi said lightly, leaving out the parts about them being head of interrogation and torture.

"Itachi-kun, what did I say about calling me Anko-chan?" Anko said with surprising sweetness, so surprising that it didn't fit well with her… outfit. Naruto may have been seven, but he knew what appropriate attire was and wasn't, and the wire mesh that just barely hid Anko's breasts was definitely on the inappropriate side of that line.

"And Anko-chan, remember until you can soundly beat me in combat, I'll never honor that request," Itachi countered back in his same light, conversation voice he always seemed to use when mocking her. Knowing he won, Itachi reveled in his victory knowing if he was just the slightest bit weaker then Anko would have his balls on a pike.

"Now, now you two break it up. We, as in I, Anko and Naruto here, have a job to do and I'd like not to waste anymore time if you would," Ibiki cut in, ushering Naruto and Anko away to begin their work.

"So, what are we doing?" Naruto asked curiously after they made it a fair distance away from the Uchiha brothers.

"We're cleaning up the mess you made," Anko replied sharply with a snort. She wasn't all to happy with having to give up her precious time to play maid for a bunch of stuck up snobs, at least not when she had better things to do!

Looking curiously at the older woman's face as varying emotions flitted across her features, ranging from as far as anger to this hard to describe emotion he always felt when he read the orange book he had unwittedly stolen from Itachi. Naruto only got confused when he tried to decipher what Anko meant. Noticing the boy's confused expression, Ibiki decided to clarify before the boy managed to piss his partner off.

"We're going to be surveying, and eventually, overhauling the Uchiha complex's security system…," Ibiki stated in a gruff voice, only to get an even more confused look from Naruto.

"Basically, you're going to be showing us all the different ways you can break in and we'll be putting seals there to make sure no one else can exploit them," Anko clarified while she angrily thought of all that entailed.

'_This place is huge!! I mean they have their own district for goodness sake. Not to mention since it'll only be Ibiki, the brat, and me; we'll probably have to do each of the six subsections on our own and one at a time…,'_ Anko thought dismally, her task seemingly more daunting now than ever.

"That sounds like a lot of work," Naruto added cluelessly, not knowing that 'mount-Anko' was about to erupt.

"There are six subsections that make up the Uchiha district. We, as in us three, are tasked with surveying, warding, and testing these areas to make sure that they are properly defended against outside threats. That whole process should take no more than twelve days of work to complete," Ibiki explained to the young blonde, while successfully deterring Anko from biting the boy's head off.

"So, it shouldn't take more than a few months to complete all this, right?" Naruto asked after a bit of mental calculation.

"If only… This isn't our main duty or most pressing, and at most, we'll be able to open up a day or two during our monthly schedule to come and work on the job," Anko added dejectedly once again.

"But-but that'll take years then, I'll be graduating from the academy by the time we finish this!" Naruto exclaimed when he realized how crappy of a situation he had gotten them in.

"It has to be done, and I'd much rather be doing it now as a result of a simple prank, rather than later as a result of some sort of tragedy," Ibiki stated as they arrived at the first subsection. Looking around at the numerous buildings that they had to search, ward, and then finally test; Naruto felt sick just thinking about it.

"Now, add a regular work day on top of that and no sex for about a month and you're in my world," Anko said in a faux-joyous voice. Grappling the young boy into a headlock, Anko made sure his head was right between her breasts before she finished what she had to say.

"Now, if you want to help me out with the sex part, at this point I'm all for it, even if you are a bit young," Anko whispered into the boy's ear before the said blonde passed out from blood loss.

"Man, I really needed that!" Anko shouted as she laughed merrily at the unconscious blonde.

"I swear, you're like a child, and just so you know, because of that little joke we have to wait until he wakes up to start," Ibiki muttered as he got to work, leaving Anko to wake the knocked out blonde.

"Come on kid, I was joking, WAKE UP DAMNIT!" Anko shouted as she tried waking the blonde, but alas, he was in Icha Icha Paradise right now.

--

"Itachi, report," an authoritative voice called out from the darkness. Releasing his suppressed killing intent, Itachi's kneeling form ebbed out of the shadows and into the light from the flickering fireplace. The teenage Uchiha lifted his head up, gazing at the tattered form of the man in front of him. This man, although ancient by shinobi standards, was not to be underestimated because of his age. He weathered both the second and third shinobi wars because of his otherworldly skill, and though he lost his arm, he was still amongst the most dangerous in the village. The only thing living that could ever hope to kill him was the thing that had taken his arm and half the village with it.

The Kyuubi…

Even though the Kyuubi had been defeated years ago, this man, his commander, still wore his bandages as an everlasting reminder of the wounds he had sustained during the battle, as well as the power of the beast that caused them…

"Danzo-sama, the Uzumaki's contract has been signed and will proceed as planned. During that time, the Uchiha Complex will be going through a re-warding process. Security will be tight during that time, so the foreseeable opening will be once the warding is complete," Itachi replied in a quiet monotone.

"So, six years is our soonest window?" the heavily scarred man uttered as he closed the portfolio. The missed opportunity two nights prior had cost them dearly, however, if Danzo was one thing; he was patient.

"It seems to be that way Danzo-sama," Itachi answered as he rose to his feet. The tone of his commander's last words told him that this meeting was over and that he would resume his current mission until further notice. However, once the Uchiha prodigy vanished into the darkness, Danzo reopened the file on his desk and began reading it once again.

'_Uzumaki Naruto, otherwise known as the Kyuubi jinchuriki… Your time will come and your power will be mine,'_ the scarred man vowed before burning the report in the fire behind him, having already recorded the contents to memory.

5 Years and 364 days later…

"Buka, more wine!" a rather tipsy Uchiha yelled across the room as his chair tipped back dangerously. All Naruto had to do was kick the back legs of the drunkard's chair and presto, instant retribution. However, if nearly six years of serving and slaving under his Uchiha 'employers' taught him anything, it taught him patience.

Naruto sadly admitted he had swallowed his pride several times in the face of his contracted 'oppressors'… er employers, but he always got them back. Just like he would get them back for this humiliation, he just had to decide when he would do it again, either in the dead of night or in some less conspicuous manner. However, before Naruto could even think about getting back at the passed drunk, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about it. I didn't come here to see you forge another work contract with the Uchiha," a gruff voice called out from behind him. Before, Naruto could even turn around; a pungent odor assaulted his nose, which he later realized was from the cigarette the man was smoking.

"And who are you?" Naruto asked shrewdly, feeling no inclination of being polite to him since the man offended his nose so he felt no inclination to be polite to him.

"Sarutobi Asuma, and the one set by the Hokage himself to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, _again_," the older man whispered harshly as he led the younger boy back to his table. Grudgingly, Naruto sped up, not wanting to ruin his one piece of clothing that was actually worth some sort of value. The kimono was a traditional set, the only difference being the color. His top was a deep orange bordering on rusty brown that matched the native tiger coats, complimented by the thin black lines running down its length, while his leggings were a softer orange, not unlike the orange sherbet that they were serving as expensive 'imported' desserts. Finally, his black obi and zori (flip-flops) tied in together with the tiger look he was going for, making him generally pleased with the outfit.

Noticing that Naruto stopped resisting, Asuma lightened his grip as they arrived at his table, and to his impatient looking host.

"You get the drinks?" the anxious looking woman asked, feeling even jitterier by the second.

"Sorry Kurenai-chan, but duty called," Asuma shot back with a smile while pointing his thumb back at the blonde trailing behind him. Naruto just watched, confused as the elegant woman in front of him pouted quietly as a light hue of red painted her cheeks. Naruto got even more confused when Asuma just laughed and continued to jest with the woman making the red on her cheeks grow larger and larger.

'_Wait a second, isn't this the part where she decks him for being annoying. I mean that's what always happens to me when I talk to Sakura for any more than a little while,'_ Naruto thought as he desperately tried to figure out the scene in front of him.

"Believe me kid, the girls' your age are a lot more complicated than woman my age," Asuma said, as if answering Naruto's unasked question.

"So, are you saying I'm easy?" Kurenai asked coyly, eyes glinting like a cobra eyes a rabbit.

"No, no, I'm just commenting on that far off expression he had on his face. Believe me, I know it too well, because I can vaguely remember myself having it not too long ago when I used to think about a certain red-eyed girl I knew," the large man answered hastily, all the while rubbing the back of his head and waving a hand in defense, hoping that his anecdote would satisfy his insinuating host.

"Good save, anyways, since my lazy friend here is too much of a slouch to introduce me, I'm Yuhi Kurenai," the red-eyed woman said after she turned her attention to Naruto.

"Uzu-Uzumaki Naruto, ma'am," Naruto managed to stutter out, completely shocked by the beauty of the woman in front on him. It wasn't that he hadn't known she was pretty, but when he got a good look at her, it all hit him at once. Her midnight shaded hair came down to the top of her shoulder blades, framing her heart-shaped face while drawing attention to her striking red eyes. Her eyes weren't as frightening as the Uchiha's Sharingan, but it still held the clan's hypnotic light, as if it were compelling him under her will.

"Hey, don't get any ideas pal, I had to fight many jonin just to get a chance to come here as a guest," Asuma interrupted jokingly, as he put his arm around Kurenai protectively. Between stammering out apologies to the embarrassed kunoichi, Naruto realized how well the 'couple' complimented each other. Asuma's kimono top midnight black matched Kurenai's hair and decorated with a lone monkey in the midst of a budding tree, whereas Kurenai's white kimono top was decorated with crimson flowers in varying stages of blossoming, as if furthering the artist image from Asuma's top.

"Don't let him intimidate you, the guy's a big softy, and if he doesn't stop soon, I'm gonna to tell everyone his nickname. Isn't that right _kuma-chan_," Kurenai said sweetly before whispering the last part menacingly to Asuma.

'_So teddy bear is it, I'm so filing that away for future blackmail,'_ Naruto thought menacingly as another thought popped into Naruto mind. It bugged him that Kurenai's eyes were unnatural, not only that but he suspected it had a connection to why she was present at the Uchiha's banquet.

"Excuse me Yuhi-san, why are your eyes…," Naruto asked politely, half because he was asking such a personal question, and the other half because she was drop dead gorgeous.

"Kurenai will be just fine, but my eyes are like this because my family is a very distant cousin to the Uchiha, but close enough that I have to suffer through all of their boring parties," Kurenai answered before going off on a small, private rant of the 'parties' she had to endure just because of her last.

"So, your eyes are like that because of some distant ancestor? Does that mean you have the Sharingan?" Naruto asked curiously, the topics of family history always an interest to him, mainly because he never had one of his own. However being able to dream on how kick ass his family may have been always made him feel better.

"No, these are cosmetic only. However, my great grandmother was an Uchiha, and among the first to migrate to Konoha when they settled with the Senju to form our village. During that time, my grandmother married out of the clan, something that was strictly forbidden, but because she was so powerful and had friends in the right places, she was allowed to leave," Kurenai added, always willing to teach an eager student.

"Important people? I didn't think there was anyone important enough to force the Uchiha into letting someone go against them, other than the Hokage that is,"

"Well, it helps that my grandmother's cousin was Madea. No, no it was Madara; my great grandmother's cousin was Uchiha Madara. Sorry, almost everything about the guy was destroyed or classified," Kurenai stated while shaking her head.

"Why is that?"

"It is because he jeopardized all of Konoha and because of his actions, our first Hokage had to retire from the injuries he sustained during their battle," Kurenai concluded darkly.

"Well, when I become Hokage, I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens," Naruto exclaimed brazenly. Kurenai smiled, somehow this kid's utter confidence almost made her believe not all his claims were just words.

"Well, you'll have to graduate from the academy first, and from what I hear you're testing and tactical skills are _sub-par_," Kurenai said, thinking fast on how to euphemize what she heard. That didn't slow the sunny haired boy; in fact it hadn't fazed him in the slightest.

"Yeah, but my taijutsu, kunai, and jutsu skills are all passing so I hope it evens out this time," Naruto retorted haughtily, not too happy that the talk about his dream turned into talking about his short comings.

"What do you mean this time, you are only twelve, so there's no way you could've failed the exam," Kurenai asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing at the thought of a conspiracy.

"Actually, I failed twice. First time because I didn't score a perfect on my kunai exam, and the second because I got hit once on my taijutsu exam, however, I think if I score a perfect on all the practical parts I can pass," Naruto answered truthfully.

"And why would try so hard to graduate early? Aren't you afraid that you won't be placed on a team with any of your friends?"

"Meh, the only people that aren't complete asses to me are the weird girl who always stares at me, Hinata I think, and Tenten and she's in the class ahead of me," Naruto answered truthfully once again, before the same thought went through both adults' minds.

'_The village's hatred for the Kyuubi filtered down to this generation, as well it seems,'_ the two thought before sharing it with one another. Both felt the urge to give the boy at least some advice so that he may take a step towards his dream.

"Hey kid, instead of betting all your money on one horse, try investing a bit more on your weakest area," Asuma offered, confusing Naruto.

"What he means is how about you spend a bit more time studying and a bit less time trying to get a perfect score? A perfectly fit but ignorant ninja is a lot less effective than a well rounded ninja," Kurenai amended.

"Meh, tomorrow's the exam and I doubt any amount of studying will help, and believe me, I've tried. For some reason though, it just never sticks, not like the physical stuff…," Naruto offered quietly as if talking more to himself than to the two jonin. Feeling for the blonde, the two made sure that Naruto had fun that night and took his mind off the exam.

--

"I'm sorry Naruto, you fail," Iruka uttered solemnly. As an instructor it was his job to be as unbiased of a judge as possible, but to see his favorite student fail just because he hadn't passed a written test tugged at his heartstrings.

"But-but-but I scored perfects on my taijutsu, accuracy, and jutsu exams! See Five Bunshin!!" Naruto cried desperately, with five intangible clones behind him to amplify his plea. Naruto studied like Asuma and Kurenai advised, he really had; but like he said it never stuck and when he woke up in the morning, he couldn't remember anything he spent the night memorizing. Ignoring the laughing kids in the hall, Naruto stared hard into his instructor, no his big brother's eyes, begging him to make an exception just this once, for him, the boy who was like his little brother…

'_I'm sorry Naruto I can't. I just can't, because if anything ever happened to you during a mission because you didn't know something… I wouldn't be able to bare it…,' _Iruka thought sadly before he tore his gaze away from the blonde's eyes.

Feeling shut out, Naruto dragged his feet all the way to his favorite swing. Plopping down onto the worn wooden seat, Naruto knew he was going to be there for a while, but he refused to acknowledge the jeers from his peers passing him, embracing their families, being…loved…

"You know, Iruka only does it because he cares for you," a strangely understanding voice called from behind him. Turning to face the owner of the sympathetic words, Naruto steeled his face behind his emotionless mask and let his chakra signature disappear into nothingness. The cold mask of indifference and utter apathy would be his defense against any possible joke or jest, and sadly, he learned that defense from years of being treated as if he were invisible.

"What do you want Mizuki-sensei?"

'_Scary…If I wasn't looking at him, I wouldn't even know he was here,'_ the silver haired chunin thought to himself before reasserting his smile. For this to work, and for him to complete his mission, he would need to gain the boy's trust and then, and only then, would he get his reward.

"To tell you that Iruka is only being the best sensei that he can, and he doesn't want you to enter the shinobi world unprepared… and that he's offering you a second chance," Mizuki said slyly, if he was going to catch this fish, he was going to have to bait his hook just right…

"And what does he want me to do?" Naruto asked excitedly, instantly perking up at the chance to redeem himself.

'_Gotcha,'_ was all Mizuki could think as he gave Naruto the directions to the scroll.

--

"It's done sir, the boy is on his way to the scroll as we speak," a panting Mizuki managed to get out as he kneeled before his supervisor and thinking of his reward.

'_The power of the Forbidden Scroll in my hands… soon those fools will pay for forcing me to work at the school with those snot-nosed brats, and most of all the __demon__,'_ Mizuki thought evilly as a malevolent grin spread across his features.

"Are you sure the boy understood the directions?" Danzo, the conspirator behind this whole mess, asked.

"Yes, and he will be at the appointed place within an hour. Now about my payment…," Mizuki started before a wave of killing intent hit him. It's been said that a man's killing intent is a measure of his combined intelligence, strength, and experiences. Danzo's killing intent was like no other Mizuki felt, and if he had to describe it in words, he would say it was like a bottomless well of death and destruction. However, this wasn't like the random marauding of some demon, no with Danzo's it was a precise tool of a seasoned veteran and shrewd mastermind.

"You would be wise to learn your place Mizuki, otherwise something _unfortunate_ may happen before you receive your reward," Danzo uttered, not even looking up from his paper. The chunin managed to nod, as he didn't trust his voice at the moment. An eternity of awkward silence passed between the two, however, only Mizuki seemed to notice until Danzo cleared his throat and rose to his feet.

Even with his cane, the man's movements were as a graceful as a predator and to the bowing chunin watching the man circle around his desk was like watching one of Konoha's native tigers circle around his wounded and weakened body. The poor boy was scared shitless.

"Mizuki, you have done well, despite your impatience, and I for one am not without empathy. Therefore, I will give you your reward now," Danzo said coyly before focusing his killer intent on the bowing chunin. If the man could freeze up any more than he did, and with agonizing slowness, he raised his gaze to meet his commander's gaze.

"Sir what are you…,"

"Giving you your reward," the scarred man answered simply before a glint of metal flew through the air. The barely seen kunai sliced through Mizuki's neck without any resistance, Mizuki hardly even registered the pain as shock set in, and he raised an unsteady hand to his neck, confirming what his mind had been telling him.

'_But w__h__y sir…,'_ was all the silver haired conspirer could think before looking back up to his master, his vision bleeding red.

--

Pant, pant, pant…

Naruto had been running. He had been running all the way from the Hokage's Tower toward to the designated place, a place he hadn't known existed until Mizuki told him about it. The Uchiha Library, home to some of the most coveted abilities in the whole village, hid another secret in the vast halls of knowledge. It hid the tomb of a man he only learned about the day prior; it was the tomb of the great Uchiha Madara. Despised as he was for his treachery, he was still famed for having the most powerful Sharingan in all of his clan, which alone warranted hiding his body away from all of mankind. Not many knew of the tomb's location, but apparently Iruka had and somehow he found it necessary to tell Mizuki in order to tell him. That alone made Naruto more than suspicious, and being Uzumaki Naruto, the boy acted on those suspicions.

"Henge no, genjutsu no, and what's this… Kage Bunshin? _A solid duplication of your being that uses compressed air around it to render itself on the physical plane. Without proper reinforcement, clones will disperse at the slightest disturbance. Use this technique with the utmost care and wisdom as inexperienced users must __split__ their chakra to complete the jutsu. Masters can effectively choose how much chakra to give a clone. Masters of the splitting art can create explosions out of their clones with the help of another seal. Reinforcement, splitting, detonation techniques go as following… _blah blah blah, when am I going to get to that exploding clone part I read about!!" Naruto whispered hotly as he hid in one of the darkest regions of the Uchiha Library. He traveled quicker than intended mainly because of his suspicions, and with his spare time, he hid in the least likely place where people would find him as he looked for a bit of _insurance, _in case Mizuki's offer turned out to be more than it was made out to be.

'_Besides Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin only get you so far,' _Naruto thought wryly as he attempted the Kage Bunshin for the first time. The chakra drainage was intense, but he quickly adapted to it as he performed it more and more, until the jutsu's activation became like a faint tickle in the back of his mind and the chakra loss was far from noticeable.

'_I guess I should write down to the reinforcement part and a few other things, seeing as I have the splitting part down… Damn, I wish I had more time with this scroll, otherwise I may be Hokage sooner than I thought,'_ Naruto thought as he found pen and paper to write with, before renewing his search for the hidden tomb.

As if right out of a movie, the tomb's entrance was hidden behind a bookshelf resting against a wall. Grabbing the book title, _A Conspiracy: While There Will Be No Uchiha Hokage_, Naruto figured this was the best place to hide the switch, as no self-respecting Uchiha would ever read this book. The books shifted silently as they made a passage to the world beyond the wall, and he descended into the dark, dank crypt.

'_Wow, this Madara must have been a colossal ass, because I don't even see one bouquet of dead flowers,'_ the blonde thought jokily to quell his fear. His senses were on high alert, but even his unusually sharp eyes couldn't see a thing in the place. It was as if the place was under that forbidden darkness genjutsu he just copied. Groping along the walls, Naruto's hand brushed against a rough rising of stone, which turned out to be a lighting seal that illuminated the whole place.

"Glad you could make it, and on time for once Naruto-kun," Mizuki's voice called out from the end of the corridor. His back was to Naruto, and his hands were behind him. In a ninja tense, he was completely harmless; however, something about his greeting set alarms off in Naruto's head.

'_Wait a second; Mizuki never calls me Naruto-kun, and what's with the dramatic stance? Mizuki was always tactless at best and a complete dumbass without help… This stinks of a set-up,' _Naruto thought as he kept his distance.

"Who are you? And where is Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked cautiously, hoping he didn't aggravate 'Mizuki'.

'_Damn, something must have tipped him off. I need to finish this now before someone finds me,'_ Mizuki thought as he turned around and let a handful of kunai fly. Naruto was so shocked he almost didn't react, but at the last second, something kicked in and the preteen activated a shadow clone to take the hit. The clone dispelled in a poof of smoke, temporarily hindering Mizuki's view. The chunin scanned the corridor quietly, his expert senses straining to detect the slightest moment or flicker of chakra.

"Naruto, are you down here?" Another voice called out from the end of the hall. From the flickering shadows of the chakra fed lights, both combatants could tell that the intruder was Iruka, but only one could react to his presence…

_Whish_

And so Mizuki's kunai cut through the air, almost silent in its flight towards the unsuspecting chunin.

"Iruka-sensei, look out!" Naruto yelled from his henged hiding spot on the wall. Leaping to grab the flying dagger, Naruto's hand caught air as the knife sailed by him, directly on course for his teacher's neck. However, because of his student's warning, Iruka was able to dodge easily and was already in the middle of a set of hand seals.

"Die brat,"

"Doton: Doryuheki!!" and like that a wall of hardened earth rose from the ground blocking most of the hallway with its girth. Iruka knew the wall would hold strong against a few kunai, but anything else would pierce through it, especially since he put the bare minimum amount of chakra into the jutsu.

"So, you wanna play like that,"

"Naruto, get back!" the chunin yelled desperately after hearing Mizuki's words, but the traitorous chunin's fuuma shuriken was already grinding its way around the earthen wall. Naruto's eyes went wide as the buzzing blade made its way towards his face before stopping, only to be in the grasp of one grim faced Iruka.

"Don't worry, I will protect you Naruto-kun," the chunin said while sparing the boy a smile before adding another seal to his jutsu.

"Doton: Doryudan!!" Iruka shouted, as his wall collapsed and shot itself forward in large clumps of hardened clay. Mizuki was forced to jump to evade the rock hard projectiles, only to have his own shuriken slice him in half… before erupting into smoke. Scanning the area, Iruka knew he could win this battle if only he could find his opponent…

"Careless," the words were like a soft caress on Iruka's neck before pain erupted in his back.

'_This isn't Mizuki,'_ were the last thoughts of the chunin as his strength left his body.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!!" Naruto yelled as his teacher slumped to the ground. Acting quickly, Naruto caught his teacher before twisting his body so that his back would absorb Mizuki's killing stroke, all before bursting into smoke as well.

"Come out brat, or do you want me to kill your defenseless teacher here?" Mizuki taunted, only to see Naruto standing at the mouth of the corridor, his face grim and body shaking with anger.

"I'm not hiding bastard," Naruto ground out between clenched teeth. Mizuki had hurt one of the only people that gave a damn about him, and for that he would pay… '_WITH HIS LIFE!!'_

"Well, it seems the demon is angry. Are you going to destroy the rest of the village now?" Mizuki asked mockingly.

"Oh, don't hide it, you know what I mean. You must remember all the lives you ended, and all the others you destroyed by killing their loved ones," Mizuki stated harshly and mockingly before laughing to some dark, twisted joke.

"Mizuki you mustn't," Iruka pleaded desperately as he gripped the man's leg. A swift kick to the head was all that was needed to quiet Iruka and further push Naruto's anger to the end, so much that the child's eyes began to bleed red.

"Shut up you hypocrite. Of anyone, you should be the happiest that I plan to kill this boy, seeing as he killed _your_ parents," Mizuki stated before looked into Naruto's shocked eyes.

"You boy, hated demon brat, are the Kyuubi no Kitsune in the flesh. Locked away from all the power you are trying to tap into," Mizuki said callously as he raised his kunai high.

Seeing his intent, Naruto burst into action, hands flying into the seal for the Kage Bunshin and his legs pumping as fast as possible. Instantly, five clones appeared ahead of him, airborne and ready to take Mizuki's head off with their kunai, but as quickly as they were formed, they disappeared by the man's taijutsu and kunai work. However, Naruto's true intent was accomplished, and he closed the distance between him and the traitor without Iruka dying. Leaping forward, Naruto released all his ki in hopes that it would freeze Mizuki up long enough for him to go in for the kill…

The chunin was unfazed and Naruto found himself hanging by his collar.

"Well, isn't this ironic. A demon trying to defend the man whose parents he murdered. You know, I think if you keep trying that you may even fool Kami into letting you into heaven," Mizuki said with a laugh as his chakra imbued kunai tore through Naruto's jacket and undershirt alike, thus revealing the Kyuubi's seal. Eying the seal with a calculating gaze, Mizuki's eyes landed on the coiled center of the seal that was shining with surging youki.

"Do you know what would happen if I plunged this kunai into your stomach?" Mizuki asked in dark humor. A lob of spit to the cheek was his only answer and in distain, he wiped the foul bodily fluid off his face with a sneer.

"I guess you'll find out the hard way,"

"Guess again bastard!" Naruto cried as his lurking shadow clone pounded the traitor in the back of the neck, jarring his brain just long enough to break the genjutsu on him, thus revealing the slash on his neck and killing the man. However, the man's last action was already in motion, and his kunai found itself in Naruto's soft underbelly.

The pain was unlike anything he felt before. It was as if waves of searing fire were surging through every pore in his body, filling them with more power than imaginable, but all the while destroying them from the inside out. Looking over his body frantically as the red energy began to creep away from his stomach and claim more and more of his flesh under its crimson hue.

Try as he might, Naruto could not stop the oncoming surge of youki as it reached his neck on its steady march upward. A strangled cry died in his throat as the youki claimed his vocal cords before the crimson wave reached his cerulean eyes, and the blonde's vision bled red as well…

--

"It is done…," Itachi spoke into the darkness as he slid a sealed memory slip onto his superior's desk. He was back in Danzo's office, garbed in his Anbu armor and a traveling cloak for the journey ahead of him. In his knapsack were his few valuables: a journal, a kunai, and a picture. The journal was the personal log of his life, and perhaps the one thing that kept him sane. The kunai was his very first flying dagger; and with it, he learned the way of the shinobi, perfected his superb technique, as well as taken his first kill…

The last lump in his bag brought him to his picture and his only remaining tie to his previous life with his clan. Maybe it was his last bit of remaining humanity clinging into his, now, forever altered mind, or it could have been a mere reminder of the world he left behind; but the photo captured him and his family: mother, brother, and father included, in a still shot of a time when everything had been right.

'_And it will be once again,'_ Itachi added silently as he watched his superior gaze into his eyes, a moment afterwards, his eyes refocused from witnessing Itachi's exploits first hand.

"Excellent work Itachi, it seems I can still trust one subordinate to finish a job," Danzo uttered, as six years of meticulous planning came to fruition. The Uzumaki brat foiled his first attempt to rid Konoha of the Uchiha, but the fox boy's actions may have been a blessing in disguise.

During those six years of reconstruction the Uchiha, as well as the Hokage, became lax in their ways, relying heavily on the world's contentment with peace to solve all their problems. In that error of judgment, he was able to systematically lift the black ops surveillance the Nidaime placed on the targeted clan without any warranted suspicion from his blasted rival, Sarutobi.

This made Itachi's task infinitely easier, so instead of the Uchiha prodigy having to avoid any suspicious eyes during the faithful night, he was disarming seal arrays already knew. He then went on with murdering the legendary clan one by one in their sleep, whilst the rest of the village lie in the cover of chaos that the fox boy had inadvertently giving them.

'_Phase one is complete and we may be better off than I originally anticipated…,'_ Danzo thought as his mind wandered to the, now, traumatically scarred Uchiha survivor. Sasuke was older than the original intended date, which gave him a better chance to deal with the mental assault of the loss, than when he was six years younger. However, with his age came a far lesser chance for him to cope with the loss if he went off the deep end…

'_Another task Itachi handled perfectly,'_ Danzo thought as he recalled the three days of constant torture Itachi put the younger Uchiha through his personal hell.

"You know what the rest of the mission is Itachi. Failure will not be tolerated," Danzo said in a dismissing nature, before giving one last glance to his young protégé.

"Hai, Danzo-sama," was all the stoic boy could say.

"Dismissed," and with that, the executioner of the famed Uchiha clan escaped into the night.

Read and Review

**Doton: Doryuheki – Earth Release: Earth Style Wall,** _Low B-rank jutsu, _after forming the hand seals, a strong, protective wall forms in front of the user.

**Doton: Doryudan – Earth Release: Earth Style Projectile **_Mid B-rank jutsu. _An addition to the Doton: Doryuheki, this jutsu breaks down the earth wall and fires it off as countless projectiles to batter the enemy.

A/N: Wow, a lot happened, and if you can believe it, a lot more hinted, let's just see if you can catch all the hints. To whom it may concern, I listened to quite a few people (much smarter than me) and found that although these kids may act incredibly stupid at times; they are trained shinobi and killers from a young age. I listened to these people and this is what brought about a number of things, one being a slightly more mature outlook on life (not personal life, an area in which they all seem to be stunted), but survival in general. I mean look at Naruto, who in canon, survived years on his own with no mentioned support (although the Hokage's is implied). As you can see, that had a profound affect on my writing, especially how the kids talked and acted in given situations. Example being Naruto's conversation with Kurenai, the boy was almost intelligent, that's because he had the right stimulus, whereas Sakura and the fan-girls looked like complete idiots during the aftermath of Naruto and Sasuke's spar, because they were acting as a degenerate mob. Anyways, that was just something that was on my mind as I wrote and I decided to share a bit with you, other than that hope you enjoyed and continue to read/REVIEW…

P.S. DOAD is well on its way to recovery for those who care.

Black Saint

**Added the last segment, because I realized that it wouldn't mesh well with the next chapter and decided to tact it on to this one instead. Hopefully it well answer some questions and if at all possible give you some more MUHAHAHAHA… Okay I'll relent, that was unnecessary…**

Completed 8/15/2008

Edited 8/25/08

Black Saint


	3. Learning Curve

**Gift of Fire**

By: Black Saint

Well, its seems its time for chapter three already, hopefully you enjoyed the last chapter and the cliffie I left you (shouts in head: See you never break your word 'cause that's your writer's way). Anyways, this chapter is where the foundation for the plot starts and for lack of better words, _has a lot of talking_. Some of my fellow action crazed, adrenaline junkies can't stand to much taking, but know that it is for the betterment of the plot and for that, I'll do anything. Other than that, enjoy and review, as your thoughts and predictions do make writing more fun.

Onwards toward victory!! (You should have known it was coming ;) )

Summary: Gifted. A term commonly used with the Hyuuga or the Uchiha, but after one faithful night involving both families, a new name will be associated with the word. That name is Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage, and inheritor of the Gift of Fire.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

**In addition, I added another section to the end of last chapter, I decided it fits better there than in this chapter, so make sure to check it out before starting this chapter**

--

Chapter 3: Learning Curve

--

Naruto found himself floating in a sea of red, so vast that if someone told him that the crimson ocean stretched to eternity and back, he would have believed it. However, it would be rather difficult to contact anyone in his current predicament, given that he didn't have a body to call his own. No, Naruto could only describe himself as being… he was like a sentient mass of blue stranded in a scarlet desert in which there was no end to…

'_Sentient…when did I learn that word?'_ Naruto marveled apathetically as he floated on, no destination in mind and no end in sight. It was strange, but the lost blonde found that even though he was adrift and confused, he had never been able to think more clearly in his life. It was as if a veil had been lifted over his mind, and in being completely stripped of all direction, he found that whatever intelligent part of him that hid away from him for more than a decade finally came to life.

'_I guess I am as much a paradox in myself as a human body housing the soul and essence of a demon,'_ Naruto chuckled humorlessly as Mizuki's words wrung painfully in the back of his mind. Pieces of his past fell together like a completed puzzle and the mystery and hurt that surrounded all the missed birthdays, cold stares, and whispered insults finally made complete sense. It made so much sense that Naruto felt pained that he hadn't figured it out earlier. Even if he was Uzumaki Naruto, whatever that amounted to, he was bound to the spirit of the kitsune, the essence of his home's destroyer, like a falling man is bound to gravity. Upon that realization, Naruto had never felt more crushed in his life.

'_Maybe Mizuki was right, maybe… I am the Kyuubi…,'_

'_Then what would that make me?' _a small voice called from the fiery abyss. Inquisitive in nature, Naruto's mind worked overtime to discover the origins of the voice in hopes to find the intruder to his solitude and possibly an escape from this sea of blood.

'_It seems you still have some fight left in you. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it, especially once you started to get all philosophical on me,'_ the voice continued, irking more of Naruto's curiosity into action.

'_Who are you?'_ the blue mass called out, tentatively testing his connection to the other being. Frustrated that his, now clearer, mind had ran into an obstacle, Naruto resorted to his old ways and confronted the being upfront, fearing that nothing could be worse than the lonely world he had been cast into.

"**Why the Kyuubi no Kitsune of course,"** the voice answered mischievously, before the red ocean contorted violently and all went black.

--

Sarutobi sighed into his pipe thus exhaling a larger than normal plume of smoke. A deadly habit smoking was since it: blackened the lungs, weakened the heart, and overall made a field shinobi far less effective. However, to the stresses of the village leader, chain smoking seemed to be the least of his, and his family's, sins, and in this case, those stresses seemed to be a direct result of one of his past transgressions; he had turned a blind eye to the Uchiha and their activities.

Before him laid out Uchiha Itachi's official reasons for destroying his clan and becoming the greatest nuke-nin behind his former apprentice Orochimaru himself. However, unlike the Snake Sanin before him, Itachi's reasons weren't so selfish. In his confession, Itachi claimed that his clan had been planning a coup and an assassination on his very own life! Details included that he, Itachi, would be the clinching piece as his Anbu status would give him crucial information on the Hokage's personal guard and allow the Uchiha more maneuverability around their age-old watchers. Re-reading the confession, many things crossed the Hokage's mind. One being that the boy was a genius of nearly unprecedented caliber, because to be able to thwart a plan spanning over a decade in preparation required skill, possibly even more skill than killing a clan of copy-cat ninja. Sarutobi almost regretted losing a ninja of that _capacity_.

However, the second and far more foreboding thought that came to Sarutobi's mind was the window in which the Uchiha were destroyed. The boy may be a genius, but he held neither the power nor the position to pull as many strings as a job such as this required. Itachi chronicled six years of changes in Anbu security as well as the warding of the Uchiha Complex; both of those pieces of classified information that only the _Anbu Commander _and Hokage could lay eyes on. Sarutobi knew that he couldn't touch any fellow conspirators due to Itachi's confession.

'_Damn you Danzo…,'_ the Hokage thought wearily as the thought of an enemy as old and powerful as the Root commander made his bones ache with age. In this battlefield, physical prowess wasn't enough, one needed to be one-step ahead to survive and two steps ahead to win. Currently, Danzo had three steps on Sarutobi.

Rising from his chair, Sarutobi's mind wandered to the grim aftermath of the prior night's chaos. In his hands were two files, each containing a thorough update on each of its subject's current condition. Opening the first portfolio, Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he skimmed over the contents yet again. Uchiha Sasuke would be undergoing a month long, rehabilitation session with the village's leading psychiatrist in order to evaluate his mental health and to find whether or not he was suitable for military service. Sarutobi cringed slightly when he recalled what put the boy in such condition, but then again it was either this or death, as there was no subtly when dealing with a fully powered Tsukiyomi mind assault. Inwardly, Sarutobi marveled at his namesake's fortitude, as for one so young to survive and not fall into a terminal coma was a miracle in itself. Alas, he doubted that anyone, especially Sasuke, would see the light in that. Closing the folder with another larger than normal plume of smoke exiting his pipe, Sarutobi opened the second portfolio that was significantly larger than the first.

'_And the headache it's causing seems proportional to its size as well,'_ the Hokage joked to himself as he tried to lighten his mood as he read over the files yet again. Uzumaki Naruto, container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, had been hospitalized shortly after the dubbed Uchiha Massacre. Has was found alongside one fatally poisoned Umino Iruka, academy chunin and ex-Anbu agent, on the scene of the massacre, unconscious and body overflowing with youki. Hadn't the chamber the two been found in sealed with some sort of energy suppression wards, the wizened Hokage knew that the whole village would have Naruto overloading his tenketsu with youki and he'd be dealing with calls for the boy's death, as well as the current situation among other things.

However not having to deal with ignorant fools seemed to be one of the only few silver linings that came with this situation, because Naruto now entered a delicate position. Essentially, an outside force shattered the thirteen year old seal the Yondaime had died grafting onto Naruto. That force was a chakra altered, poisoned kunai, which was intended to not only kill Naruto but also release the Kyuubi from its bounds while doing so. It was clear that whomever they were dealing with was incredibly informed and had access to highly sensitive and secret intelligence. However, what disturbed the Sandaime the most was that attempt failed, and given the side report he received from the recently revived academy teacher, something smelled even fishier than the whole situation.

"Hokage-sama how long have you been here?" a voice called from behind the Kage. Despite the fact that he hadn't been aware of the person's presence until he was behind him, Sarutobi had nothing to fear, since the owner of the voice was one of his most loyal Anbu and personal protégé to himself, Umino Iruka. The ex-Anbu turned chunin, was heavily bandaged around the torso and his head was wrapped with a tight layer of gauze over it.

"Not long Iruka-kun," the Hokage replied as he looked down at the boy in question. Naruto's body had long since stopped glowing in that eerie red light that forced both of the shinobi to recall one of their greatest fears. However, the relief that had come over them when the red haze vanished had been quickly replaced with worry when the boy's body started undergoing radical changes.

"I see that the convulsions stopped," Iruka muttered lightly, belying the worry he had for the blond he had come to see as a younger brother. Shortly after the youki receded into Naruto's body, the blond began having strange muscle contractions, or as the med-nin called it 'controlled seizures'. For the greater part of the night, Naruto's body would spasm out of control as his muscles compacted repeatedly, before he would stop, rest, and start the process all over again. Between the 'controlled seizures,' med-nin would come and check on the boy, hoping to find some sort of answer for the bizarre phenomena, only to find that the boy's physiology altered exponentially after each contraction.

With each contraction came something new, starting with incredibly malleable muscles. This change was compounded with every following change, and before the medical experts could even begin diagnosing Naruto, they found that the blond's body was something in which they've never seen! It was as if the blond's body was made to be a shinobi. He had nerves that formed clusters within his four main appendages resembling ganglia for increased reaction time, a denser bone structure to withstand more punishment and carry heavier loads, an incredible circulatory system that not only carried more oxygen but also did it with nearly twice as much efficiency as any normal shinobi, let alone a normal human! Those were just the obvious things, and from what the med-nin predicted, Naruto's hormone and other bio-chemical activities had been altered as well, which could produce unforeseeable phenomena in times of stress, growth, or other activities...

"Yes they have, and just in time to as you would have probably died if it weren't for the seal cracking the way it did," the Hokage added while recalling another change the blond had endured. As a result, of the Shiki Fuin collapsing, many subsequent seals under it gave way, resulting in various chain reactions as Naruto's tenketsu overloaded with youki. Many of the effects were harmless, and a few life-threatening ones, however, the youki purge settled almost all of them save for one. The Fourth had put a conversion seal under the Shiki Fuin, which was intended to harness the restorative properties of youki and align them for normal chakra usage. It was the reason Naruto healed so fast, without the direct aid and use of the demonic energy, however, when that seal broke and the youki flowed into Naruto's system a strange phenomena occurred. The seal created another set of tenketsu within Naruto's normal set that specifically made to channel highly refined, medical chakra! It was as if the surge of youki combined with the conversion seal, burned another set of chakra 'wiring' into Naruto's existing set, which then resulted in another pool of chakra forming! Albeit the chakra pool was smaller than the boy's normal reserves, about the size of a healthy chunin at the moment, mainly due to inactivity, but the use of a chakra pool solely for healing would be a godsend to any shinobi, especially one built as uniquely as Naruto.

'_Good thing the boy can heal himself now, because I doubt anyone other than Tsunade would have the expertise to help him now…,'_ the Sandaime mused as his mind traveled to the other benefits of Naruto's new chakra. The healing chakra, as it was dubbed by a few of the younger med-nin, was incredibly sensitive, to not only manipulation, but what was happening in the boy's body as well. Therefore, upon its formation, it immediately went to counteracting the poison coursing through Naruto's veins, neutralizing it without any of the boy's active engagement. Yet another marvel many would think, but that wasn't the half of it. The chakra encrypted the poison's antidote into codons in the boy's DNA structure, granting him immunity to it, giving the doctors a stocked antidote for others housed within the boy's body! It was because of that fact alone that Iruka was still alive, and one of the main reasons why so many of the med-nin leaders were demanding the boy trained to become one of them.

'_If they knew who the boy's mother was, they wouldn't have to worry about that,'_ Sarutobi added, sparing a brief moment to remember a woman with a fiery attitude and the hair to match, before a foreboding thought made its way into the forefront of his aged mind. Despite all the good the incident had done for Naruto's body, essentially giving him a clean slate, doctors found that the reason Naruto hadn't awoken yet was because of a chakra imbalance in his head. Particularly in a pocket of youki lingering in the areas where higher thought took place.

"Hokage-sama, I'm sure he'll pull through, Naruto has the greatest will out of anyone in Konoha," Iruka attested, catching onto the reason for the Hokage's sudden change in temperament. It was only natural that Iruka understood the man like a son; he had spent several years learning from the great Kage after his parents' deaths during the Kyuubi's rampage.

"Yes, I know as well as you that Naruto's will is one of a kind, but given the recent circumstances…," the Hokage said before cutting himself off, unwilling to finish his sentence.

"I know your duty as Hokage will call you to make any sacrifice for the village, as mine as a shinobi of Konoha will call me to do the same. However, I have the utmost faith in Naruto," Iruka finished, knowing if Naruto didn't pull through then it would be up to them to make sure the fox didn't return to finish what it started.

"For ours and Naruto's sake, I hope you're right Iruka-kun," the Hokage muttered as he expelled another plume of smoke and continued to stare at the sleeping blond.

--

Plop, plop, plop…

Naruto's face contorted into a scowl as the ever-increasing annoyance of water dripping on his forehead continued to aggravate his weary mind. Trying to force the annoyance in the back of his mind with no avail, Naruto rolled over and nearly drowned himself in the process. Sputtering on the water that choked him to death, Naruto sat up – eyes remaining shut – as he did his breathing exercises in hopes to reign in his raging temper. He got to about three before he blew his stack…

'_Not again! How many times do I have to ask my damn landlord to fix that hole in the roofing before he finally gets off his ass and does it?!'_ Naruto asked no one in particular, thus venting off some of his frustration. He endured the steadily growing hole in his roof for over six months now, and each time he brought it up to the landlord, the old man would just give him a creepy glare and rant on about how busy he was. Which was a lie, seeing as Naruto saw him nearly everyday drinking himself to sleep while on his way to the academy in the wee hours of the morning.

Cursing again, Naruto realized that something was strange about his room, then again it wasn't everyday that he heard his thoughts bounce off the walls as if he shouted them to the Hokage's Monument. Tilting his head to the ceiling, Naruto's eyes fluttered open, and it was then that he realized he wasn't in his room. Hell, he wasn't in his apartment complex, or even any housing structure for that matter, he was in a godforsaken sewer and after doing a quick overview of himself he found that he was naked on top of that as well!

'_Great, just great…first I get knocked out my by that bastard Mizuki and next I find myself in a sewer. What's next, I find myself in the company of all the past Hokage's and find that I'm related to all of them either someway or another?'_ Naruto asked himself only to find that his thoughts were once again echoing around him mocking, much to his growing irritation.

"**Well, you'll have to settle for meeting me,"** a familiar voice called out. Breaking his neck, Naruto's vision snapped onto the darkened half of the sewer. Letting his eyes take in the sights, Naruto immediately noticed the damp floor and walls that housed the cracked blue pipes and large red pipes running through both the illuminated halves of the sewer. As he speculated what the pipes were, or after careful consideration represented, a lithe figured slipped out from the black abyss and into Naruto's line of sight.

The blond's attention shifted immediately, and his ninja training kicked in. Paying no mind to his current situation, his lack of gear and more importantly clothes, Naruto's eyes scanned over the being in front of him, searching for anything that may help him identify what he could be up against. He quickly concluded that if the person in front of him was a threat, they must have been from outside the village, because no one in Konoha had bright auburn hair, russet eyes, and such a large cup size. Pausing at the last trait it finally occurred to Naruto that his opponent was naked, and female. Embarrassment quickly filled the boy, and instead of preparing himself for a fight, he quickly attempted to cover himself from view.

"**Modest are we? Endearing as that may be, I've lived long enough to know the secrets of a body such as this. However, I will add that I've never seen a body quite as much… potential as yours,"** the woman called out with a chuckling as she raised an eyebrow to Naruto's antics.

"'A body such as this'… you speak as if you aren't human," Naruto uttered quietly, so quietly that the woman actually had try to hear him as he mumbled to himself. In the very short period since he woke up, Naruto once again found himself noticing things that would have eluded him otherwise. Not to mention that he was using words he had only heard in context and never really took the time to fully understand what they meant. Unfortunately, his widened vernacular was the least of his worries as an amused sigh emanated from the woman in front of him, beckoning his attention back to her.

"**Yes, I am not human; in fact, I am probably one of the furthest things from human. I am a youki, and as I've said before, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune,"** the red head stated with a smirk, her eyes looking into Naruto's defiantly. A gaze Naruto eagerly returned, the only thing was that his had a surprising amount of venom behind his.

"So, this is your doing then kitsune-ikeike (fox-bitch), just like all the other harm you've done to me!" Naruto accused heatedly. He didn't shout, but his words held as much fire and passion as if he had; the only thing was that instead of hot anger he normally displayed to anyone and anything in his way, Naruto's face, eyes, and aura were that of cold fury, a trait reserved for those who truly deserved it. And in Naruto's book, destroying half the Leaf, orphaning hundreds, and taking the life of his hero and inspiration definitely qualified Kyuubi for his rage.

"**Don't be so presumptuous to believe that your life is the only thing that was at stake. Yes, you and your village suffered because of me, but have you ever thought why that may have happened?"** Kyuubi countered, quickly throwing Naruto off guard. The blond had expected angry shouts and dramatic shifts in appearance to fit the demonic image he had in his head, but there was nothing of the sort. All that was there was a tense silence that lingered after the question, more like challenge, that Kyuubi stated and Naruto's subsequent confusion.

"**I'll take your silence as an apology for calling me something so heinous and frankly unwarranted. If anything, you may call me Kyuubi as for someone I've know for so long shouldn't have to use pretenses and honorifics with me,"** the fox woman uttered, confusing Naruto yet again.

"Known for so long? I've only met you minutes ago!" Naruto refuted vehemently, the mere idea of being associated with the demon turning his stomach.

"**You misunderstand, you may not have known me, but I have known you ever since your birth and my imprisonment. I've watched your every move Naruto, your every prank, your every meal, your every laugh… However, I have also been there for your every lonely tear, every cry for help, and every saddening thought as well. Honestly Naruto, if anyone can say they know you it's me…,"** the fox demon said evenly. As strange as it may seem, Kyuubi was telling the truth. She could honestly say that she knew Naruto better than anyone, because unlike the rest of the world, she was there for both the few high times and many low times, she had seen him at his highest and she had been there watching silently during his lowest moments.

Fear gripped the blond's chest as he stared at the woman's face before him, hoping beyond all hope to find some trace of deceit or malice in her features so that he could disprove the terrifying accuracy of the words she just uttered. However, there was nothing but truth emanating from the fox woman – a trait he rarely ever saw – and Naruto found himself more confused than ever.

'_How can this be? This must be a trick, she wants to escape and nothing more… _I can't trust you," Naruto finished aloud even though his thoughts bounced off the walls around him like faint echoes. They weren't enough to annoy the blond, but it did remind him of his vulnerability and managed to make him feel incredibly small in the presence of the Demon Lady.

"**To someone like you, trust is something earned and is not given lightly, no matter how hard you may try to believe otherwise. And as a token of good faith and a step towards earning your trust, I believe I should tell you that it was I who saved your life," **Kyuubi said to Naruto, and by the almost pained look on his face, she managed to read him again.

"Why? What do you have to gain by saving my life? Wouldn't your freedom be assured if I died and the seal was broken?" Naruto asked as he recalled hazy images of the event that transpired before he found himself here or adrift in the crimson sea.

"**Yes and no, if you were to die, I would be taken along with you and we would be judged as one soul by Kami himself. My soul would drag yours to hell, or Makai, and from there, I would be able to escape after losing a substantial amount of power. Thus, leaving you stranded in Makai with half my power and no way to defend yourself from the many demons who live up to your interpretation of them," **Kyuubi answered as Naruto gulped at the thought of being left in hell, alone…

"**However, young one I chose to save your life because despite the circumstances, you are a mortal I have come to respect. You, like the Fourth Hokage before you, would give anything to this village, and that type of devotion is to be admired," **Kyuubi answered, and once again her aura exhibited nothing other than truthfulness to the cautious blond As much as Naruto hated to admit it, Kyuubi had proven to be more truthful and forthcoming than all the citizens in Konoha put together, and she was the only person who actually gave him a straight answer when he asked for one.

"Let's say for some reason I believed you when you said that, how exactly did you save me if the seal shattered?" Naruto asked, recalling more and more of the prior night's escapades. He could still feel the cold bite of the kunai's blade from when Mizuki stabbed him, as well as the searing pain that followed after the hot surge of youki overflowed within him and burned his chakra coils inside and out.

"**I could get into all the details now, but I won't as we can go over the specifics in detail another time. However, I will say that only because of some extraordinary abilities your part were you able to survive your system's purging, as well as begin able to adapt the sundered seal so that you could allow me to heal your body as you rested. In all my years of existence I've never seen anything quite like it"** Kyuubi answered Naruto, leaving the boy irritated that he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted, however he did manage to tie the Kyuubi into at least one more conversation by her word alone.

'_Since when does talking to the fox mean anything to me?'_ Naruto asked himself, and noting that he could stop his thoughts from broadcasting if he concentrated.

"So you saved me, but that still doesn't mean I can trust you," Naruto countered. He was a bit irritated Kyuubi dodged his initial question, but he figured that he could probably get the rest out of her one time or another seeing as their souls were bound together until their judgment.

"**I suppose it doesn't," **Kyuubi added compliantly. Her voice wasn't accusing, in fact in had almost an airy tone to it, as if she was politely disagreeing with him rather than trying to plead her case. Once, the demon fox struck Naruto as out of the ordinary, she completely defied all the stereotypes he had consciously and subconsciously used to define her.

'_She isn't sadistic, conniving, and deceitful, she seems more human than the rest of the bastards in the village even,'_ Naruto concluded, unaware that his thoughts were being overheard by the demon war mistress across from him. As humble as his words were, Naruto had no idea what those simple words meant to Kyuubi. People told Naruto for as long as he could remember that he was all those things he listed and up until recently, he sometimes considered himself all of those things, but by simple reason that Kyuubi wasn't all those things, he inadvertently defended her from the words of the ignorant villagers. The simple, unintended but honest gesture made Kyuubi feel somewhat secure about herself, a feeling that had been absent from her for over dozens of millennia.

Eying the small blond as he continued to contemplate where they stood with one another, or more specifically if he really put any stock in her words, Kyuubi relented that it felt nice to be protected. Not that she would ever admit it aloud, as she loathed the thought of being reliant on someone else, but she couldn't muster up the energy to hate the blond for what he did. Part of her reasoned it was because she had seen his life through his eyes and that she had gained a sort of empathy for the boy. Another part of her figured that whenever he did it, he wasn't trying to fulfill some sexist role, and the last – and biggest part – of her realized that Naruto did it because he was Naruto, a person who could see past all pretenses and find out the truth, and whatever it amounted to, for himself.

"**However, I believe trust can be earned and out of good faith if you hear my story, I will concede to whatever decision you make afterward,"** Kyuubi uttered, cutting through Naruto's thoughts. The blond wanted to ask how he could trust she was telling the truth, but he realized how foolish he would sound. However, he knew in his heart of hearts that it was Kyuubi's aura, it being truthful as well as serious, that convinced him to agree to hear the woman.

"And what decision will that be?" Naruto asked, conceding to the fact that he would listen to the demoness; however he would not be a fool. He wanted to weigh his options as he listened to the kitsune's argument so that he could have a better feel of the situation when it finally came time to make his decision.

"**Whether to dissolve barrier between the chakra and youki current circulating throughout your brain, thus reconnecting your spirit to your mind and body, or if you think I'm untrustworthy, then you can finish us both and sacrifice yourself for the good of your village,"** Kyuubi explained, knowing how the situation must've sounded to the young one. It would make convincing him all the harder to trust her, if it seemed like she was using his death as blackmail to let her live. However, she knew what she was getting into, and besides, the Kyuubi always liked a challenge.

"So, what are you going to explain to me? How you are a good demon, your reasons for attacking Konoha, or better yet, how you will grant me power beyond my wildest dreams," Naruto deadpanned before slightly snorting at his last comment. In a way, it was Naruto's way of showing his irritation for the perceived predicament Kyuubi had placed him in. However, Kyuubi could also tell it was Naruto's way of telling her that if that's what she was trying to say, she'd better do a damn good job of doing it, otherwise they would both be in Makai before even one of them could blink.

"**Possibly, because all of those things can be explained in what I am about to tell you, however, to say that those things encompass the entire essence of my tale would be a severe misjudgment on your part. In truth, I am about to tell you about my greatest error as well as the history of the world as you know it…,"** Kyuubi explained before getting a perplexed look from Naruto.

"How is that going to convince me to trust you? Wouldn't telling me your faults be counterproductive to your goal?" Naruto asked accusingly, wondering if this was just a game to Kyuubi, a game he may have already lost…

"**Possibly, however experience has taught me that learning the faults of a person is one of the only ways to truly understand someone, and it takes true understanding to be able to completely trust someone,"** Kyuubi explained evenly, once again throwing Naruto for a loop. Taking his silence as a cue to begin, Kyuubi began to morph the cell around her to help as a visual aid in retelling her tale. The cracked cobblestones contorted into red again and Naruto found himself wrapped in an aura of blue yet again, only this time, both he and the fox queen were visible, and Kyuubi stood not more than a few yards away but encased in the vast redness around them.

'_So that's what the red must have been, it was Kyuubi's chakra all along!'_ Naruto concluded, and for once, he let awe settle in his mind. He always knew he had large reserves, nearing the level most elite jonin reached during their prime; however, he was only a drop in the bucket compared to Kyuubi's ocean surrounding him. It was quite humbling in fact, and it added to the kitsune queen's testimony about gaining his trust, because surely a being of her power could have easily killed him with the way the seal's current state.

'_**The boy's intelligence is expanding, or more accurately, the constant influx of chakra and youki in his body is starting to let his mind expand. His heightened intelligence is in fact his mind being able to process information normally, instead of struggling to churn out disjointed bits and pieces. However, to be able to piece the visual clues together so quickly without my direct inference is impressive, especially given his prior situation,' **_Kyuubi thought, after once again noticing Naruto thoughts. The blond raised a curious eyebrow to the Yomi Queen when he realized that she was radiating an aura of pride mixed with satisfaction as well as her normal honesty. Strangely enough, Naruto didn't find it foreboding, because he got the odd feel that she was feeling that way because of him, and instead of being put on guard, the blond relaxed as he listened intently to the red-headed woman's words.

"**I am a being of perpetual chakra manifested into your realm, the Ningenkai, as flesh and blood. However, before that I was a being of another realm, the spirit realm Tenkai, a spirit of sentience and great power serving under the High Lord Kami himself," **Kyuubi begin, as the sea of red shifted, becoming an exact replica of Tenkai. The gargantuan trees there put the forest of Konoha to shame, everything seemed crisper and cleaner, the whole world around him seemed to be beating, moving, and living to one harmonious heartbeat.

Naruto stood rooted in spot, astounded at the marvels his senses were soaking in. This place was greater than anything he could think of in his wildest dreams, simply put, the place was heaven. Smiling at the boy's reaction, Kyuubi actually felt a bit relieved when Naruto's tension faded and the boy finally started to relax around her. She climbed the first hurdle, and now there were only dozens more ahead of her until she reached her goal.

"**Here, in the land where the summon creatures make their home, I, along with eight the other of my brethren were considered to be the right hand of Kami and one of the principle governing bodies of the plane. We were known as the Council of the Nine, and would be known as the Nine Biju if our home was threatened,"** Kyuubi continued before Naruto's gaze snapped back to her, a curious gleam accompanying the shining blue in his eyes.

"Your home, threatened? Isn't this place supposed to be where souls go to rest?" Naruto asked, once again amazing himself that he had caught onto a detail that minute. As strange as it seemed, all the lectures he had endure, albeit half-asleep, seemed to be popping up with astounding clarity at just the right times. It shocked him that he remembered the things he tried to forget with the same amount of detail as his most elaborate and praiseworthy pranks.

"**Yes Naruto, our home can be threatened, just as your home can be threatened. However, unlike Konoha who has to worry about other villages, the beings of Tenkai have a much bigger foe to worry about. Mainly, the inhabitants of Makai and the Demon Kings that led them," **Kyuubi said anger evident in her voice. She recalled many battles against the forces of Makai; however, none more violent and bloody than those fought against one more of the demon kings. The mindscape shifted, and Naruto laid eyes on each prominent demon king, and the sheer havoc they wrought. Their appearances varied wildly, ranging form hulking giants to lithe succubi with seducing smiles. However, despite their vast differences in aesthetics, they all had one thing in common, a large repulsive aura that radiated hate and bloodlust.

The stark contrast of the images shook Naruto's core, and it was then that it truly dawned on him how ancient and how powerful the female before him was. She had seen both the peace and harmony of Tenkai, as well as the hellish realities and bloodshed that accompanied the scarred battlefields of Makai. However, the revelation didn't strike fear within Naruto, no, the truth of the matter was Naruto could only look in awe at the kitsune queen as her accomplishments belied her carefree attitude. Naruto then realized that the fox had done the same thing he had, buried his seriousness under a face of happiness in order to suppress the pain of unsavory experiences. The parallel had reluctantly forced him to recognize that if anyone understood him, it was Kyuubi.

"Sounds like you loved that place," Naruto murmured quietly, thinking if Kyuubi was anything like him, Tenkai must have been her Konoha.

"**With all my heart, but the truth is that it is because of my mistake that I am forever banished from my home,"** Kyuubi continued with a sad smile. Her aura couldn't be explained by anything other than forlorn, and Naruto could understand, because if he was ever banished from Konoha, he doubted he would know what to do with himself.

"Why? What could possibly banish you, one of the highest powers in your whole, from your home?" Naruto asked genuinely perplexed.

"**In a moment of stupidity and pride, I sacrificed everything and abandoned my home," **Kyuubi answered truthfully, not shocked at all when Naruto's aura turned from empathetic to enraged. How could she blame him, because in his eyes she had commented the one cardinal sin, and that was abandoning one's bonds.

"… I can't believe I actually thought you were like me…," Naruto uttered quietly. Although he had the strength to yell he didn't, this way, he could show the seriousness he buried and with that seriousness, show Kyuubi how he really felt about her.

"**Surprised are you? Well as I said before, to truly trust someone you must know all of their faults, and I have revealed to you my greatest fault. Judging by your reaction, you feel that you can never trust me, but let me continue and we'll see if the rest of my story won't change your mind,"** Kyuubi amended, thus getting Naruto's, begrudging, attention.

"**I was foolish, plain and simple. My eight brethren and I had sealed, killed, or otherwise neutralized all the Demon Kings save for one, the Tengu King. The Tengu King was in a class of his own, his power trumping any of the nine, including myself, in one on one combat. However, even knowing that we were still confident in our victory, because who was left to answer his call? Who was possibly strong enough to turn the tides against us? His comrades were, either dead, sealed, or far too injured to be of any help, and because of that we thought we had him cornered. Little did we know that we were just playing our distinctive roles in his twisted puppet show, because if the Tengu King was anything, he was crafty. He saw into our hearts almost as well as Kami himself, then again he was the first being in all of creation as well as the first to turn his back on Kami, an example we would - in our pride - soon follow," **Kyuubi stated before pausing and visage of her greatest downfall appeared around the young blond.

'_So that is the Tengu King?'_ Naruto concluded as he stared into the cold, calculating eyes of a human male. Humanoid would have been a more accurate statement. The being's eyes were black like coal, and held a glint of sharpness within them that reminded the blond of polished obsidian. His body, although lithe, was a tightly coiled massive of muscle that not only looked as if it could lift the heaviest of demons with ease, but could manage to make it look as graceful and effortless while doing it. Adorned on his back were proud wings that reached out as wide as he was tall, making him larger than he really was. Not that it mattered, seeing as his intimidating aura did it for him, for it managed to make the air around him seem as suffocating as water. Noting the beads on his neck, as well as the fan in one of his hands and the blade in the other, Naruto could only stare as the man lifted off the ground with the slightest flapping of his wings before hovering in front of the nine biju, gi flitting in the wind that his wings were producing.

"**He called to the darkness in our hearts, playing to our pride and using our naivety to lead us to our destruction,"** Kyuubi continued on, as Naruto listened intently to the words the Demon King was saying. His voice was seducing and his tone commanded power, and before the nine knew it; there they were, agreeing to his claims that they had run Tenkai without Kami! That his help wasn't needed! That they were gods themselves!

"**We were like children really, even in all our millennia of being. We were too young to really understand what was happening, and like the puppets we were, we followed him to Makai forsaking our bonds to pursue a position we rightfully thought was ours. We had no idea how wrong we were…,"**Kyuubi concluded shamefully as the mindscape played out the following scenes. The tengu's prayer beads split and hovered around him in a circle as if possessed. The nine beads flashed with a blinding amount of youki, before binding themselves into each of the respective biju. Slowly, each of their heavenly forms began to corrupt into the demons they were known as to this day, each sporting their respective tails and each becoming twisted by a power they truly didn't understand. Thus was the birth of the demon biju and thus was the birth of Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Yomi Queen…

"**After our defection, the war between Makai and Tenkai raged with renewed passion. Makai had nine new generals to command their armies while, the forces of Tenkai had lost its governing body as well as its strongest frontline soldiers. In the midst of the chaos, the Tengu King managed to create an opening in the barrier that blocked the war from spilling into Ningenkai, and thus the battle moved their was well,"** Kyuubi said as the results of that filled the mindscape. The sky was black from massive amounts of residual youki flitting in the air, the earth itself scarred from the clashing forces, and the blood of the fallen pooled into the wounds, forever spoiling the ground beneath it.

"The age of chaos, it was from this age that ninja were given birth, to protect the people from the horrors of that era. This was the era before hidden villages and records from this time have all been lost, I never suspected it would have started like this…," Naruto commented, thinking of how well that boded for Kyuubi's argument. The woman was being truthful, even painfully so, and for the most part her truth wasn't helping her case for why he should trust her. Well, at least at first glance, but with the more he heard and the more she shared, Naruto found that he could read the fox woman easier and easier,thus making it harder and harder for him to hate her when he saw all the emotions that were coursing through her underlying each painful and shameful experience.

"**True. This was the age of warring states for you humans, where demon kind ran almost unabated throughout Ningenkai, killing, looting, and plundering the land with their taint. It was during this time that the human race was forever altered as demon blood slowly began to mix into the human world, creating the first kekkei genkai,"** Kyuubi explained, much to the shock of the blond. To believe that all the special powers that he saw throughout Konoha, were through a direct relation with some sort of demon or another. The irony of the situation did not elude him, and for everyone that accused him of being a demon may have very well suffered the same fate as he did.

"**I see the irony is not lost on you, but during all of this madness, the avatars of Tenkai finally came up with a solution to both end the war with Makai and purge the evil that tainted the human realm. They would seal the biju, and thus judge the betrayers. The plan, although simple in theory, would span over many ages, reaching far beyond the warring era and into this era, thus ending with my sealing. However, much transpired between the execution of the plan and its completion, one such thing was the binding of Tenkai's warrior clans to you humans, or to put it simple, create the first of the summon contracts. With it, Tenkai's warriors were able to create proxy bodies to not only to combat us biju and our followers without risk of dying, but now they could also teach humans the ability to mold chakra, and with it put their plan in motion. It was from that plan and those contracts that the first ninja were born and with that, it spelled the doom for much of the demon's invading force,"** Kyuubi said, before pausing and watching as Naruto silently assimilated all the information. If the boy didn't believe any of it, he didn't voice it, all he did was continue to stare, and the flashing images on the walls whilst piecing together his thoughts silently. Taking his silence as cue to continue, Kyuubi shifted the image yet again, only this time the images were in Makai and specifically on that of the Tengu King.

"**Unknown to us, Makai's main fighting force, our fearless king was sitting behind the frontlines plotting against us all. Despite all the pretenses he put up, he knew that Makai had no chance of winning against Tenkai once the humans started summoning the heavenly guardians to the human plane. How could we? Our bodies took damage, no matter how miniscule, while their bodies were only projected onto the battlefield. We may have had the power advantage, but it was a war of attrition, and our forces were constantly dwindling. However, he kept that fact rather well hidden and instead had us run special 'missions', to capture the few humans who were the original holders of the summon contracts. Given this was a few centuries after the war began, it came as a shock to me and my colleagues that they were still alive. So, the nine of us set out, each of one moving to capture one of these humans, however the reason these humans were still alive was because the contracts they signed were different then the signing rituals today. For instance, a fox summoner today would only have to sign the fox contract and they would be able to summon foxes, bar the boss because the position is still incumbent; however, back then the first summoner had to tie his soul to his souls as they did to him. This resulted in an affect similar to when demon blood infiltrated the human gene pool; kekkei genkai, this time of divine origin, were born. These humans would go on to sire children and those children would spread their bloodline limits through the gene pool, much like the demons did centuries before them until their bloodline limits were firmly established on Ningenkai. At the time, the massive horde that once composed the Makai army dwindled to about half of its original size, and of the nine generals, only five remained including myself, so with the introduction of these newer bloodline limits, the battle took a turn for the worse. The average infantry demon could easily best a full-grown man and put up a fight against a partial trained ninja, but with bloodline limits of demonic and heavenly origin everywhere, the likelihood of a demon actually begin able to kill a small child dropped considerably. Over the next few decades, the forces of Makai were beginning to be pushed back as we generals were scrambling to find the last of the original contract holders, all the while being hunted and sealed ourselves. Finally, after the sealing of the Hachibi, I managed to catch a break and catch the last remaining contract holder. He was the leader of fearsome clan of warrior monks whose frightening control over chakra gave them mastery over both human and demon energies. However, their eyes are what stood out the most since their eyes were as blank as the Hyuuga that would eventually settle in this land, as they were their ancient ancestors…," **Kyuubi revealed, not surprised when Naruto looked up at her in shock.

"You mean to tell me that you captured the very first Hyuuga? And that all bloodline limits are of either demonic or divine origin? Although it would make sense, seeing as people with Kekkei Genkai are normally a lot stronger than the rest of us, but how would you tell the difference between a divine bloodline limit and a demonic one?" Naruto asked, yet again taking a profound interest in what Kyuubi was telling him.

"**It's not clear and cut as I'm about to tell you, but generally, demonic bloodline limits affect the elements of nature somehow, whereas divine bloodline limits affect the body, altering it somehow to house a distinct advantage or trait that they gained from their contract. However, there is one clan that is a mixture of both and that clan lives here in Konoha today, that clan is the Uchiha clan,"** Kyuubi added, only to get a piercing look from the blond. She, of all things, knew of the boy's feeling for the clan. However after hearing this, his opinion for the clan may change forever and, all things considered, it would probably be for the worse…

"**Continuing from where I left off, I was the last biju general alive and I just completed our tasked mission of capturing all of the contract holders. None of us knew what our leader was looking for when he demanded we retrieve them or what he did with them once they were captive, all we were told was that they would be the tools to end the war as we knew it. That day our transgression caught up with me as it did my kin, only I would pay a price far worse than that of my brethren…,"** Kyuubi muttered as the mural around them told the story. Naruto watched the scene play out as a stony-faced Kyuubi looked on in silence. The man, blank eyed and regal, stood defiantly in face of the great Tengu, however slowly but surely he was tortured and twisted by the demon's youki. His old body became young once again and his humanity was all but lost, the Tengu King had possessed a new body. The now possessed man turned his eyes to past-Kyuubi with a wicked grin as his aura flared, rooting the demoness in spot.

"**It was then I realized my folly, I was all alone in the face of the strongest demon ever. And even though his youki was decaying the holy bonds that kept him alive, he still had more than enough power to subdue me and then carry on with the rest of his plan…," **Kyuubi said, and for the first time she turned her eyes away from the depictions. Naruto continued to look on curiously before it dawned on him. Bile built up in his stomach when he saw the insane, but powerful Tengu possessed man stand over the prone and defenseless Kyuubi before descending down on her and the images go black. Naruto was smart enough to know what happened, and seeing as how the age-old demon repressed the memory; the ancient wounds were still fresh in her mind.

'_That bastard! How could he do that to one of his own followers!? I can't believe him, I'll rip him apart if I ever…,'_ but with that Naruto paused. When did this protective feeling for the one who ruined his life worm into his head? It was then he realized that what Kyuubi had said was starting to make sense, the more he found out about her, the more he was letting himself trust her. Fuming slightly, in irritation of the Tengu's actions but yet not of the revelation, Naruto continued to listen as the mural changed yet again.

"**Fleeing from Makai as soon as I gained consciousness, it was then I realized that I was truly trapped. Because of my betrayal, I could no longer go to Tenkai for aid, and because of the Tengu King, hiding in Makai was out of the question. So I was in Ningenkai, stranded and carrying a child that was being mutated by the Tengu's youki. It was then that I realizing that this was his goal from the beginning. I cursed my foolishness and I cursed my pride, but above all else, I cursed that damned Tengu. However, cursing would not set things straight, so I did the only thing I could do, I disguised myself as a human and let the Makai army crumple on top of itself. With no leadership to guide them, the demons began to fight amongst themselves, making it easier for humans and the allies from Tenkai to finish the war, and in the confusion, I was successfully able to disappear. I took the name Kasumi as I wandered, never staying anywhere long enough for anyone discover who I was or what I had done, and so I explored the world I had once set out to conquer. Time passed, and the child carrying my blood and the blood of the tengu possessed Hyuuga was born, and even though I knew the child carried some significance to the Lord of Hell, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I suppose the Tengu planned for that, knowing that as a mother I could never kill my own child, but I wasn't going to let him win at whatever he was planning. So I hid the child away, utterly erasing as much of the Tengu's presence on his child as I could. The process drained me to the point where I needed rest, and from then on, I slept until the events that led to our fateful meeting,"** Kyuubi finished, as the scene changed once again, showing the picture of Kyuubi's child after the change. The once winged half demon was now human. His body was lithe like his father's and his hair black as coal, however the tainted aura around him was all but gone, hidden away by Kyuubi's doing, and unlike his father, he received a gift from his mother. His eyes were like that of blood; almost matching Kyuubi's perfectly if it weren't for the three-point star in the center.

"**Many things happened while I slept. The era of chaos ended and the land settled into peace, long since forgetting the hectic age before it, as well as the demons that wrecked havoc over the land. During that time, my child sired a line of fearsome warriors. Warriors blessed by the kekkei genkai of heaven, but cursed by the Tengu's twisted chakra. Over the generations, my disguise slowly faded from line to line until it came to both the attentions of both leaders of Tenkai and the Tengu King that these warriors were in fact the clan they were looking for. The tengu made his move and contacted his children directly, while Tenkai contacted me in my sleep, offering me the one thing I wanted most. My redemption…," **Kyuubi paused yet again and let the motion pictures do their work. Watching as Tengu King's twisted the brightest star of the Uchiha into a monster and his subsequent defeat by the first Hokage, Naruto could only wonder how this played into the Kyuubi's attack.

"**Tasked with destroying my own children, I at first resisted and the scene you just saw was the outcome. That was my tormentor's first attempt to carry out his plan, and the destruction it wrought rested solely on my shoulders. Reluctantly, I took my task and made my way to my children's current home, Konoha,"** Naruto could only watch silently as Konoha caused as much destruction as possible on the way towards his home. Before he would have thought that it was a mindless demon enjoying the pain and destruction it could cause on a whim, but Naruto now knew better. It was Kyuubi trying to warn those in her path to leave, that she only had one target, and that target meant the most to her. She skipped over the attack, and Naruto thanked the fox silently for sparing him the image of seeing his home destroyed, and the blond was impassively as the Fourth Hokage sealed the great beast into him, leaving he and the fox biju in their current situation.

"**As you can see, my mission failed and I suppose that this is my penance for my transgression. However, I know that **_**he**_** is still out there and with me in here, his taint will never leave this plane. So Naruto, I ask you now, do you see my reasons? Do now understand that you can trust me?"** Kyuubi asked as the images slowly shifted back into the visage of the damp cellar, leaving both Naruto and Kyuubi standing opposite of another.

"Yes, I see your reasons, and although lengthy and complex, I can understand why you did it. Konoha was just caught in the crossfire of a conflict too old for it to comprehend; a conflict _you_ started," Naruto said accusingly. Kyuubi flinched on the inside, the blond was right, but her pride would be damned if she let him know he affected her.

"**Yes, this is my fault and I shoulder full responsibility. However, that doesn't answer the other question, can you trust me?"** Kyuubi asked again staring hard at the blond in front of her.

Naruto stood silently as he weighed his options, on one hand, he could trust the one demon responsible for much of the bloodshed and strife in the world, whether it be his, demon, heavenly; or he could condemn them both and see what would happen to the world without Kyuubi to interfere any longer. With that in mind, Naruto made his decision and the mindscape went dark…

--

No sooner than when the words left the Hokage's mouth, Naruto vitals began to plummet. The device monitoring his brain's chakra/youki activity began to flare uncontrollably.

'_Is the demon trying to take control over Naruto?'_the Hokage wonderedbefore he threw a worried look to Iruka, who returned it with twice the intensity. If anyone would feel the impact of Naruto's death, it would be his academy instructor, and above and beyond everything else, his older brother.

The chakra and youki spiked, and Naruto's vitals all died; apparently Naruto took the Kyuubi with him, sacrificing himself to save the village that scorned him. As noble as that was, neither of the two surrounding the boy felt elated. No, a haze of sadness washed over them for Konoha had lost that which was most precious to them, the one carrying on the Will of Fire. Cursing his luck, Sarutobi swore if had one more chance, he would tell Naruto everything, starting from birth and spanning all the way to whom his parents were. He owed it to them, and most of all to Naruto, to accomplish at least that, but as it stood he wouldn't get a chance…

Beep-beep

The device monitoring the boy's heart came to life once again, startling both shinobi. It had almost been a whole minute since Naruto's vitals died, and now they were all starting to come back to life, getting stronger and stronger with each passing moment. Hope filled the two, well at least until they looked at the flickering monitor that showed the chakra/youki activity in Naruto's brain.

The packet of youki that had been in Naruto's head spread, encompassing it as it had his body only hours earlier. Fear gripped the hearts of both shinobi as their worse fears were coming true, the Kyuubi was returning, and to their knowledge, it had come back from the grave after Naruto had given himself to destroy it. The boy's eyes fluttered open, revealing two deep blue eyes before a feral smirk spread on his face, the two men stood ramrod straight, trying to will themselves into the ready position, but it was to no avail. Memories of the beast's power resurfaced into the forefront of their minds, paralyzing them at that one crucial moment.

"Why so stiff jiji-san, you aren't going to die on me are you?" Naruto uttered sarcastically. The two shinobi relaxed as confusion spread through them, that wasn't what they were expecting.

"Why are you two looking at me like that, is there someone wrong with my face?" Naruto asked, before turning his body and setting his feet on the ground, not noticing that he came in contact with it far sooner than he normally did, before pitching his body forward onto his feet. He got about halfway there before his body collapsed over his new legs and Naruto got a close inspection of how clean the hospital floors were.

'_Defiantly not what I was expecting,'_an amused Iruka thought as he helped his surrogate brother into a wheel chair before following after the Hokage. They had much to discuss.

--

The world as Naruto knew changed drastically. Literally everything that he once perceived as fact was irrevocably altered by his enhanced senses. Things like scents in the air and hues of color, which never bothered him before, now stood out in a great amount of detail and contrast. Hell, he could goes as far to say that his old senses were like night to this new one's day, a day in which all that was hidden from him had been illuminated.

Feeling no end to the intellectual stimulation via his new senses, Naruto was almost relieved when they arrived at the Hokage's office and the vastness of the world seemed to shrink down to one office. Absorbing in all he could of the office in one go, Naruto felt his curiosity settle down and finally give his mind a chance to relax. It would not be for long, because once the smell of fresh tobacco hit his nose, he knew he was in for a long talk.

"Naruto, I need you to recount everything that you experienced while you were asleep," the Hokage asked. To anyone else, the statement would have sounded like the demand of a responsible leader trying to ensure the safety of his home. However, to Naruto, the Sarutobi head's words were like that of a worried grandfather, trying to ensure that he was all right. The thought brought a bright smile to the blonde's face, one that would eerily remind the two around him of the boy's father.

"Get comfortable you two, because a lot happened while I was in my head, but for the most part, Kyuubi's story is the most important and her tale will probably answer many of the questions you have now," Naruto said, noting the surprise he not only saw on his elder's face, but also smelled in their change of scent.

"The Kyuubi is a GIRL!" Iruka shouted, much to the amusement of his little brother.

Much to discuss indeed…

Read and Review

A/N: Betrayals, plots, new bodies, and wait, did I see the origin of bloodline limits in there as well?! I now understand what J.K. Rowling said when she said book six and seven were like two halves a coin. This chapter and the next could be done together if they were so long, and I doubt anyone wants to sit through another 10000 plus words. And I am sorry about congested this chapter was as well, I know this chapter was a lot to digest at once, but as I said above, its all of the plot, and as you can see, I have much to work with (hopefully I can do the muse in my head justice). I hope that I kept you entertained and asking for more (especially about the Tengu King, because I have big plans for him. Oh ho ho, BIG plans for him lol.) Personally, I hadn't wanted the Kyuubi explanation to take so long, but as it panned out more and more, I realized that explaining the back-story would be just as important as the next part in the story. Be ready for more surprises is my only warning, and stay tuned because I'm itching to write the next chapter (although I can solemnly swear that DOAD is on the forefront of my mind right now, so watch out for that update within the week okay?). Anyways, 'twas a pleasure and I thorough enjoy writing for you guys.

Completed 8/20/2008

Edited 8/25/08

Black Saint


	4. The Other Half Of The Coin

Gift of Fire

**Gift of Fire**

By: Black Saint

I know I said DOAD was on the forefront of my mind, and in retrospect it was, but as soon as me, my muse, and my good friend DASM (for those who don't know that's Dragon and Sword Master-sama, the all powerful editor and beta of these fics, and the all round responsible for more than half the ideas I come up with. Really without him I think I would still be in the stone ages of writing lol). However after a few talks, some idea bouncing, and an all round good time I realized that I have to get this chapter off my chest before I explode, so enjoy, because I know I did when I wrote it.

So here it is the other half of chapter three.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

--

Chapter 4: The Other Half Of The Coin…

--

An audible buzz could be heard as Naruto looked back at both the perplexed Hokage and his Anbu guard at his side. Both men heard and comprehended what they were told, however neither man could fully wrap their mind about what was presented. Not that Naruto words were unfounded, no his explanations fit every mystery they had inadvertently solved within the village. For instance the emergence of bloodline limits had always been speculated to be of some _foreign_ origin; however many believed that some sort of foreign people, not angels and demons, were responsible for the various biological changes in the elemental countries' populace.

Drawing in the last wisps of his long burning pipe, Sarutobi realized that he would need some sort of proof before he could accept all of this. It was that he didn't just the blond boy's words; it was just in his years he'd taken the phrase 'seeing is believing' to heart. Motioning with one hand for the blond to go on with his actions, the Hokage steeled himself for the worse. No matter what Naruto reported about the fox nor any amount of historical story telling, could take the steel out of the third Hokage's spine when he thought of _summoning_ the Kyuubi.

"Kage Bunshin," Naruto uttered dramatically, actually excited to showcase one of his new found abilities. A soft pop was heard, and the room filled with a thin veil of smoke obscuring the effects of the jutsu from all eyes, well except one that was…

With piercing red eyes a young girl appearing no older than Naruto, once taking into account his new body, emerged from the smoke. Her eyes long since trained onto the Hokage, silently evaluating the man on everything as far as appearance and age to ki and chakra capacity. Grinning a feral grin, Kyuubi found that the man had more than enough chakra to carry out the Shiki Fuin or any similar imprisonment seal, and from his disposition he was more than ready to use it.

"Greeting Hokage-san, I bid you welcome after thirteen years in the dankest corner of the Shinigami's prison," Kyuubi explained jauntily, even including a flamboyant curtsy for the elder. The Hokage was not amused, and the lack of respect was jarring however he realized to a demon such as herself, the accomplishments of man must seem like nothing more than the work of ants.

"A fate too merciful for one such as yourself, however given the current circumstances I find myself in your debt. For that I will abstain from letting any past _differences_ strain our current relations. However be warned if I sense even the slightest amount of subterfuge on your part, I will not hesitate to take you into the Shinigami's stomach and finish what the fourth Hokage started," the Hokage threatened, never breaking eye contact with the demoness. Neither figure wavered; the Hokage masking his emotions with a visage of iron determination and Kyuubi having her smirk flash tauntingly as if tempting the Hokage to move.

"Terms I can agree to, seeing as I have nothing to hide. Naruto has told you my story, I'm here only to confirm it," the Kyuubi replied, and confirm it she did as now, both the Hokage and Iruka had irrevocable proof that Naruto had indeed contacted the Kyuubi. Only thing they needed to worry about was if the contents in which Kyuubi spoke of were entirely true.

"Excuse us if we don't trust a demon's words. You only destroyed half our village and blighted even more lives," Iruka spat angrily, having spoken for the first time since Kyuubi's summoning. Naruto was almost shocked to see his kind and benevolent sensei so angry, but then again he wonder what he would do if he ever came face to face with his parents killer. The thought stung Naruto, because he would have already been over the edge, but moreover it stung because he didn't even know who his parents were much less if they had been murdered.

"Ah a bitter one I see, then again I would be bitter if I was ripped away from my most beloved in a blink of an eye. To you it doesn't matter what my cause was for, or how many lives it could have saved, all that matters to you is that you lost that what was most precious to you, doesn't it?" Kyuubi questioned. Her words were almost mocking, but her tone was what really portrayed her meaning, it was as if she was speaking from experience and it was then that Naruto wondered how much did the fox queen long to run in the forests of Tenkai again?

Shaking the thought from his head Naruto went back to focusing on the conversation at hand, or better yet the Hokage's stern command for the chunin/Anbu to calm down before he charge him with insubordination and have him discharged for national endangerment. That settled the chunin down, if only by a margin, and Iruka just settled for glaring harshly at the red head for the moment. The crisis had been averted.

"Kyuubi I will ask you one time, and one time only, do not goad any of my subordinates for I will not be held responsible for their actions, no matter how drastic and warranted they may be," the Hokage uttered lowly, his voice like molten fire and her words like the forge in which they became harvesters of death.

"Duly noted, however that will not stop me from pointing out the flaw in their thinking no matter how painful it may be. As for the trust issue you have with me, why don't you enlighten our younger guest here on a few key facts heavily pertaining to him and maybe then you may find yourself with more than a second hand explanation of my reasons?" Kyuubi asked insinuatingly, her words holding a slightly sharper edge than normal.

Naruto looked curiously at the red head flanking him before turning his gaze toward the eldest shinobi in the room. Naruto's silent plea was met with a tired sigh, thus adding fuel to the anxious fire burning inside him. It was then that Naruto really began to entertain the thought that Sarutobi hadn't been totally forthcoming with him. Thinking back to all the warm memories he had of the elder man, Naruto knew without a doubt that the Third loved him like a grandson. However those thoughts were stained by the image of learning of his _tenant_ second-hand, by the mouth of a filthy traitor nonetheless.

Contemplating where that put his level of trust in the old man, Naruto's attention was pulled away from his internal debate when the Hokage began to mold his chakra. Even though the man's ancient energies had been constantly refined through the years, its sheer volume was more than enough to catch the attention of Naruto's heightened senses. Hell to them it was like a flash tag detonating right in his face. However as dizzying as the rush was, Naruto felt a small pocket of excitement well up within him; whatever the Hokage was preparing to do, it was taking a lot of chakra.

A poof, similar to the one that summon Kyuubi, flooded the room with a thick sheen of smoke. Half expecting some sort of ancient weapon and half expecting a power summon to appear, Naruto couldn't deny that his heart dropped when his eyes fell upon a dusty mahogany chest with gold fixtures and several compartments. Watching as Hokage peeled back wooden top and dug into the shadowy contents of the trunk, the wizened shinobi pulled out a scroll and lied on top of his desk. The pristine scroll was in stark contrast to the weathered chest, and Naruto could feel something akin to nervous excitement bubble within his chest. And that feel only grew stronger when the Hokage made eye contact with him.

"Naruto I have looked upon this day with torn emotions for as long as I've known you. Partly because I've always wished you'd never had to be ignorant of this knowledge and partly because I myself am responsible for your ignorance…," the Hokage started; eyes never straying blond's and words flowing directly from the heart. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but the Hokage just raised one hand before continuing.

"Naruto you are the son of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina, or as they are more commonly known as the Fourth Hokage and the last Lady of the Uzumaki clan," the Hokage finished and as predicted Naruto's face was the incarnation of shock. Although he could read underlying levels of happiness in the boy's aura the Hokage could discern much more from the swirl emotions other than that and an intense pulse of sadness.

'_So their dead… One sealing the Kyuubi in me, and the other during the attack… I guess that means they didn't abandon me,'_ Naruto concluded humorlessly, marveling how much he could miss people he'd never met. It was a wonder really how the relief of finding out who his parents were filled the hole in his heart he had been carrying for thirteen years. Well that was before another, larger, hole was formed when it dawned on him that he was truly alone.

"Naruto believe when I say they loved you more than anything, well almost anything…," the Hokage muttered as his eyes dropped yet again. He knew this would hurt the blond, but he had to know. The Hokage couldn't find it within himself to lie to the boy any longer.

"What the village?! Jiji if you think I'm bitter that my parents gave their lives for their home…," Naruto practically shouted before surging from his wheelchair. The anger overrode the pain and the unease that filled his legs, and for the first time Sarutobi saw Naruto stand tall for the first time since his _accident_. The boy had grown at least ten centimeters, thus growing out of his boyish body and into a man that looked strikingly like the Fourth. Never in his life did Sarutobi find a sight that scared him quite like this one; he was seeing the dead, he was seeing the legacy of the 'Greatest Hokage'. As awe invoking as the sight was, Sarutobi was still Hokage and with an impressive amount of will he steeled himself and pressed on with intentions.

"No, you are far too selfless for something like that. No, the only thing your parents loved as much as you was your brother. And I pray that his spirit is at peace in the presence of Kami…," the Hokage revealed much to the dismay of Naruto. The blond could only stare blankly as the Hokage explained that he was the eldest of two. That during the attack his brother disappeared along with his mother, presumed killed in on of the raging, youki charged fires the ravaged the village.

'_It hurt,'_ that was all Naruto could manage to think as he realized he was missing another piece of himself. A piece identical in everyway to him, a piece that was his other half…

As raw and as painful as the knowledge was Naruto was glad. Because now he knew, the answer of a question that had rung in his head for as far back as he could remember. Now only the only thing left to do was to find out all he could about those people that he would never meet.

"Is there anything else? What of my mother's family, and my father's?" Naruto asked, almost hungrily, hoping to find some sort of solace in the world.

"You mother's relationship with her family was _strained_ to say the least, you'll probably want to hear about that from her if anything, but your father's family… Well there just as famous as him, if not even more so," Sarutobi said with a small smile, when he saw a truly happy light flicker in Naruto's eyes at the mention of his father's family.

"As a Namikaze you are one of the direct heirs to the Senju family, in particular the Second Hokage; who is your father's grandfather and your great-grandfather," Sarutobi revealed much to the astonishment of the wide-eyed heir.

"You're telling me that my father as well as his grandfather were Hokages?!" Naruto exclaimed excitement visible in his eyes as well on his face. Sarutobi's nod was all that was needed before Naruto jumped up singing a string of praises to the heavens. The room watched silently as the blond continued to cheer, none of them having the heart to usher him in. Slowly however the blond calmed down, deciding that knowing more about his family outweighed his lineage.

"Question though? How is it that my father's name is Namikaze when the Second had the surname, Senju?" Naruto asked, after one last 'hooray'.

"The answer comes from the complex relations that all clans such as yours must endure, but for time's sake I will make this short. Your great-grandfather and great-granduncle, the first and second and first Hokage's respectively, were of the same clan; and that said clan had two branches. One your great-granduncle headed was the one that controlled the growth of trees, while your great-grandfather's had complete dominance over the forces of water and wind. Upon coming to Konoha the two branches split, and thus the name Namikaze was coined to honor your family's skills. However that is not to say Senju blood doesn't flow within you; no, that rich blood that courses within you is shared with some of the greatest shinobi on this continent," the Hokage finished, and if possible Naruto felt more proud of his blood than ever. If everyone is his father's family were half the people he and his grandfather were, than Naruto had a name worth having.

However realizing what that meant, Naruto mind drifted back to his mother's family and the word's Sarutobi had used to describe her relationship to them. A scowl marred his once happy face when he thought of what that could mean, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get an definitive answers until he 'heard' from his mother like the old man had said before.

"So what of my mother's family?" Naruto finally asked after the countless dead-ends became too much too handle.

"Here this will explain it far better than I ever could," Sarutobi said before motioning to the scroll. Naruto wasn't the sharpest student, but he knew when scrolls required a blood sacrifice and by the looks of it this scroll would need just that. Whipping his thumb along his row of pearly whites, Naruto was vaguely aware that his new canines were far sharper than his last set before the taste of copper filled his mouth. Letting the precious lifeblood spilled out the scroll, lighting the pristine canvas with crimson symbols. The scroll unraveled revealing many sealed sections all circling a center seal array that as faintly pulsating with power. Running his bloodied hand across the central array, Naruto watched in amazement as it sprang to life and a light array took the form of his parents.

"If you're reading this then you are of my and your mother's blood, so to whomever you are hello from the dead," a jubilant smooth baritone called out from the light show. Not questioning how exactly how sound borne from light was possible, Naruto was too enraptured by the sound of hearing his father speak to focus on anything else in the room. It was just like he imagined, but at the same time much, much more. Minato had a sense of goofy sense of humor that he knew deep down was part of his prankster ways, but there was something else about the man, something unreadable that put Naruto mind at ease. Maybe it was the underlying love that filled the man's voice that banished all his worries, but all Naruto knew was that this man was his father and he was more than he had ever hoped.

"Don't be stupid we aren't dead yet," another voice cut in, as his mother's form elbowed his fathers. Just from that small act Naruto could tell the woman had a temper, and he knew that's probably where he got his. Watching as the beautiful figure turned its gaze on him, Naruto wondered if the warm feeling that surrounded him when he looked into her eyes was the feeling of a mother's love. Accepting it as just that Naruto felt a true smile grace his features, it was like they were right there with him.

"I know I know dear, but can't I just have a little fun? I'm Hokage is all work, work, and more work! I never get a chance to train anymore, and sadly I think I'm dreaming of paperwork in my sleep," the Hokage groused, his pleas even accompanied with mock tears. Watching his father, the 'Greatest Hokage', being reduced to a pleading child was humorous if not insight on his parents' relationship. A thing that made Naruto even more curious to hear what they had to say.

"Well then start using shadow clones like Sarutobi suggested. I know you'll have to deal with the memory of the work, but you get to train at least," Kushina practically yelled after a bit of banter between his two parents. Naruto could faintly hear his father say 'brilliant' under his breath, before he turned his blue eyes back on him.

"Sorry you had to see that, but the station of Hokage has made me even more a scatter brain than usual. I guess they are bigger shoes to fill than I had originally thought, something I'm sure your familiar with now that you know exactly where you've come from," the Hokage added with a smirk, before wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder. The woman did an admirable job of hiding her blush, but that didn't keep the lovely glow from emanating around her body. I was then that Naruto acknowledge that his mother was pregnant, pregnant with him in fact. The thought was exciting and terrifying at the same time, it was like seeing what could have been in store for his life hadn't things gone the way they did. However his parent's smile put him at ease once again; because it was obvious they were in love with one another, and even more so that they were proud of the child they created, something that warmed Naruto more than even the best bowls of his favorite ramen.

"Well not exactly, there is my family…," Kushina said as her eyes fell at little. So thing stirred within Naruto, and for a second he thought he was angry but after seeing his father's reaction he realized what it was.

"No those people are not your family. They are just shallow ingrates, who just happened to give me the greatest gift of my life," Minato said passionately. Naruto saw the protectiveness in his father's eyes and he realized that what had stirred within him. Smiling, the blond chalked it up to another similarity between the two of them.

"Yes they are, but I still carry their blood and so will _all_ our children so they must know where they come from," Kushina argued back, her tone somber and her eyes glinting with a serious edge. Minato just nodded as his wife continued to explain what she meant.

"The Uzumaki clan is the governing body of the small country of Uzu. Found along the coasts near the Mist, this country relied on the strength of its clan to provide them with both military strength and commerce. Their ultimate weapon and commodity, seals…," Kushina uttered in a taciturn matter. It was as if she were reciting her words out of text. There was no pride in her voice when she spoke of her home, only a desolate void where that emotion should have been. And as shocked as Naruto was when he realized that his mother held no love for her homeland, Naruto was even more shocked about what he heard next.

"Uzumaki seals are of a special breed, usually far more complex and complicate than those seen around the elemental countries solely for the fact that Uzumaki can interpret seals on a higher level of understanding, mainly due to our private kekkei genkai, the Seishogan (1). To you reading this, you are indeed an inheritor of this bloodline limit and have already opened the first stage, the ability to control your eight celestial gates instinctively. Be warned though this power does not come without a price; you can open all of the gates, but if you are to cross the threshold of the final gate you will die like any other shinobi," Kushina warned in her conclusion. With that the light array began to flicker, but before dying fading away the two faux-parents gave their orphan son one last loving gaze before disappearing into nothing.

"There are many more messages have sealed for you in this scroll along with various other, more personal, scrolls. All of which are kept safe within your family's trunk, and will be available to you at any time," Sarutobi cut in after a moment of silence. The blond only nodded his head as he continued to stare into the space that his parent's memories had once filled. Slowly the blond's eyes fell back on Sarutobi, and Hokage found himself waiting for what Naruto had to say.

"Thank you, that meant a lot to me…," Naruto croaked out, his throat closed up as an effect of all the emotions that were bubbling under the surface of his control.

"You are welcome Naruto-kun. However before you go there is still the matter of your _tenants _story that we must go over," the Hokage mentioned as he cast his eyes to Kyuubi. He had originally intend for this meeting to be with Naruto, and Naruto alone, but as circumstance had it Kyuubi had to be here to see that scene as well. The Hokage could only guess, what as happening behind the swirling red eyes of the fox demoness, but somehow he knew that the woman would bring no harm to the child in front of them. Now that truth had been through conveyed in Naruto's retelling and in Kyuubi's actions, but still her reasons were a mystery to him.

"Very well Hokage-san, you are fulfilled my request and now it is time for me to fulfill yours," Kyuubi said as she flooded the room with her youki. In her proxy body she was limit to the amount of youki she could access, comparable to a raindrop in a thunderstorm, but that was just enough to project her thoughts on the walls in image like she had done for Naruto before. So after saturating the room with her power Kyuubi, began to play back the scenes; and so her story began once again.

--

The Hokage could sigh as a myriad of thoughts cluttered his mind. He had seen, though the eyes of Kyuubi, the exact origins of Konoha's most dreaded day. Everything fit along with what Naruto explained earlier, but seeing it with ones own eyes was a different experience. The sights invoked far more emotions than just words, and even the Hokage couldn't refute his contempt for the fox queen had been lessened, for only slightly. Drawing upon his vast knowledge, the time-tested Hokage assessed the situation as best as he could.

"So what are your intentions now? Your mission is incomplete, and although I understand your reasons I cannot allow you to attack Konoha citizens because of their relationship to you and this Tengu King," the Hokage ventured, leaving out any information on the Uchiha Massacre. This would be his last test for the woman, and if she passed he may be able to work something out for her.

"My intentions are to help Naruto as much as I can. As of now he is the only one with any possible chance of defeating the Tengu threat should the need arise. As for the Uchiha they will only be a danger if they come into contact with their 'father', however if and when that happens I will no longer be responsible for my actions," Kyuubi replied with a dangerous edge. Her hatred for her childrens' bastard father was as intense and raw as it was all those centuries ago, but she realized she would have to compromise in order to maintain her 'status quo' with Naruto. Given the destruction of the seal, the balance between them was delicate and if anything where to happen while it was trying to stabilize, it would spell the end for both her and Naruto.

"That may not be a problem we have to deal with, because as of last night the Uchiha clan has endured near-terminal losses," The Hokage uttered, and for the first time shock spread across Kyuubi's face. The emotion was not missed by Naruto who gave the woman a sympathetic glance. They were in the same boat; they both had come to find out they indeed had a family, only to have them violently taken away from them in the very same breath. For Naruto just learning about his family was like a bittersweet joy, one he cherished but at the same time brought him pain. Whereas for Kyuubi learning about her family invoked to things: a deep sadness, as well as an all encompassing rage; and unfortunately rage took precedence over sadness.

"If that was the case then why even ask me my intentions?!" Kyuubi fired aggressively. Her proxy-body's muscles coiled tightly as they began surging with youki, but to the naked it eye it just looked like a red haze beginning to envelop her body. The haze was more than enough to put both the Hokage and his Anbu on high alert, and for good reason because if the circumstance had been any different the two may have found themselves fight the strongest demon their side of the world barrier!

"Precaution. You may have told us your past and gained Naruto's trust, but that doesn't mean I will not be weary of you. There is far too much that this village has gone through because of you, for me to even consider trusting you so soon. However I will admit your answer as acceptable, and for that I am granting you this," the Hokage said as he pulled out a scroll from his robes. Along the ends it bore the Fire Lord's imperial seal and along his length it was emblazoned with the Hokage's own personal seal.

"This here makes you an official citizen to the Leaf Village, but unlike most civilians will be given access to shinobi marked zones as well. As of now this scroll gives you the equivalent rank of a Konoha genin; and while that isn't much, you do not have any immediate superiors to answer to other than myself," the Hokage explained as Kyuubi as the fox looked at scroll with a passive eye. She supposed it was an act of good faith and it did give her a surprising amount of freedom, given the details she knew about a normal shinobi, but she also realized that in taking the scroll she had made herself subordinate to the Hokage. Not that it mattered as she had aligned herself with Naruto, who essential had done the same thing when he became a shinobi, but in this respect _she_ was now fully accountable for anything that may involve her, and more specifically her power. Bounding the scroll to herself with youki, Kyuubi spirited the scroll into the remnants of the seal for safe keeping before looking up at the Hokage.

"Suppose you are being generous with that act, but be warned if I detect any subterfuge from this agreement our contract will be voided and I will exact any vengeance I deem necessary," Kyuubi promised, never once breaking eye contact with the Hokage. The old man just nodded, knowing that it was the best he'd probably get out of the demoness.

"Same can be said for you, and my vow to take you into the belly of the death god still stands," the Hokage shot back before getting a nod from Kyuubi in return.

"Now with that settled, I request to find out all the details to the Uchiha Massacre. If I recall you said the losses were near terminal, and I'd like to know who survived," Kyuubi said calmly. Naruto had to bite back a smirk when he realized Kyuubi was already using her new status to her advantage, and with a subtle smile realized she was only doing what he had done earlier. She was doing everything in her power to find out what happened to her family.

Prepared for that question, Sarutobi slid a thin folder across his desk and into Kyuubi anxious hands before the fox woman tore into the file without a moment's hesitation. The demoness' eyes literary flew over the papers as she quickly processed all of the information she had been given. Upon completion, Kyuubi let a deep scowl mar her otherwise beautiful features. The thought of her clan being wiped out in the space of a night wasn't too shocking, given the world they lived in and more importantly the same thing would have happened twelve years prior; however the thought of one of their own as the culprit behind the attack, which was staged to stop one of the most unhanded ploys she had ever heard of, was far more infuriating. She didn't know whether to mourn the lost of her children and scorn murderer and kin; or to condemn her children to a griefless end and see Itachi's actions as they really were, a man's attempt to stop more bloodshed before it happened?

The ultimatum proved to be a ceaseless source of ire for the demon, and its very existence made her question whether or not her blood deserved what they got? And even if the moral fibers that brought out the good in all of Kami's creation, human, beast, and demon alike, were missing in her kin?! Apparently, seeing as it took one of their own to stop them from casting all of the land into a bloody spiral of hated and murder. Letting out a tired sigh, Kyuubi lowered the portfolio back onto the desk as she silently collected her thoughts…

'_At least now I don't have to worry about that half bird bastard, stealing a new body from right under my nose. No, one Uchiha may be all that's needed until this conflict is over…_ What you read was only the mission report, and confession, Itachi left before his flight from the village. Recently however our sweeps of the area have uncovered more survivors," the Hokage uttered cutting into Kyuubi's line of thought and shaking loose all the consoling thoughts Kyuubi had been so desperately trying to conjure.

"More lies! Itachi's report states only one Uchiha remains, other than his forever scarred brother, left alive. Or was that last bit of information a test as well?" Kyuubi demanded with a near visible edge in her tone. A moment passed as the Hokage calmly refilled his pipe and lit its addicting contents before looking up to address the angered fox.

"In a sense yes I was testing you, but not like before. Mostly I was testing to see if you know of your children's customs, and more specifically if they got them from you or your kind. However it seems that's not the case so I will inform you of one, and my, interpretation of what Itachi could have meant…," the Hokage explained as a smoky halo shrouded his features.

"And what could that be?" Kyuubi shot back impatiently.

"It's customary in the Uchiha for their youth to complete a C ranked ninjutsu as a right of passage before they are recognized as an adult. This is to ensure that all members of the clan are at least versed in the ways of the shinobi and that all the 'unworthy' are weeded out. The survivors are all too young to have taken the Uchiha 'right of passage', and are thus no recognized as Uchiha yet," the Hokage explained as Kyuubi absorbed the information quietly. Although she could honestly say she had never heard any human use strength to determine pedigree. Kyuubi could easily draw a parallel between demon kind 'tests' and the 'trials-by-fire' the Uchiha used. The mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine, and almost assured her the fact that the Uchiha were her children in Kyuubi's mind.

"However, the boy's actions continually perplex me. He obviously wasn't working alone, and although I do have my hunches on exactly who was behind the attack, I am positive they had no intention of leaving anyone other than Sasuke alive. That would mean by sparing these children Itachi went against a direct order, leaving me to wonder what exactly is his aim?" the Hokage thought aloud.

"Maybe he missed the children, or Kami-forbid he actually has a heart and wouldn't kill anyone he knew had no place in the Uchiha's plot," Naruto cut in. As hard as it was for him to believe Itachi had butchered his clan in the dead of night, Naruto also knew the Hokage would never lie about something this serious. And from the thoughts he was able glean from Kyuubi, as her mind lay scattered from the distress; he knew that any that put a boy like Sasuke in intensive psychiatric care was nothing to sneeze at.

"No, the children were placed as far I as I can tell; possibly even hours in advance. However the only a frighteningly small amount children were spared, and as far as the relationship between them goes; they are all of the Uchiha's business family and they are younger than Sasuke," the Hokage concluded as he met Kyuubi gaze once again. A moment passed, and an unspoken message passed between the two as silence consumed all.

"So how many does that make that survived?" Kyuubi asked quietly, as if preparing her heart for pain.

"Less than a dozen. Uchiha culture doesn't promote procreation in the 'business caste', and because of many of these children will have to be adopted seeing as they most likely won't be able to carry on the Uchiha name… _Thankfully,'_ the Hokage added silently after he explained the situation to Kyuubi.

"So other than Sasuke how many do you think will be able to pass the Uchiha's rite of passage?" Kyuubi asked, refining her question even more.

"One, and her case is a special one," the Hokage answered cryptically.

"Special how?" Kyuubi ventured cautiously, not want eons of battle scenes to mutate the image of an innocent child into some sort of casualty in her mind.

"I think it would be better if I showed you," Sarutobi answered as Iruka signaled another Anbu who was watching the whole time outside the window. Naruto saw Kyuubi's eyes narrow, before he too picked up the residual chakra that had been left behind by the spying shinobi's departure. The blond figured the Hokage had a point when he issued Anbu guard to watch from a remote location given the seriousness of the situation, but he also sympathized with Kyuubi who had, in all intents and purposes, just spilled her most precious secret to the Hokage. Torn between the two sides Naruto opted to stay silent and watch how the next interaction played out; vowing to only interfere if anyone stepped out of line.

"Don't worry this room is outfitted with the best seals our village has to offer. No sound is permitted to leave the room without my expressed permission. However sights on the other hand are a different story…," the Hokage muttered, having ignored the 'rock nin' in the room long enough. It was true when they said the way of the ninja knew no gender, but staring at a naked woman for the past hour had taken toll on the Hokage's control. Unfortunately with the knowledge of a small child arriving soon, the Hokage couldn't risk scarring the little one anymore than she already was.

Kyuubi summoned up a bit of her youki and summoned some of her old wandering cloths from her private 'void stash'. The technique was along the lines of summoning and storing items, but instead of them being hidden away in a scroll or other inanimate object, this technique actually brought cloths from another spot on this vary plan, making the technique more like a summon/kawarimi hybrid than anything else. Once clothed, Kyuubi noted that summoning her clothes had taken more out of her than she ever thought possible but she hid her exhaustion with a coy smirk. Catching Naruto's reluctant eyes, Kyuubi could tell the boy was embarrassed, but was there really to reason to feel that way?

'_This just goes to show that we are comfortable around on another naked,' _Kyuubi rationalized with a giggle making sure that Naruto caught that particular train of that as well. The boy's face went scarlet and Kyuubi's smile just widened.

However before any more banter could pass between the two the Hokage's double wooden doors opened revealing a small girl that stood only half as high as Naruto. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the girl. She had deep brown hair that was pulled into a long ponytail on the left side of her head. Over her clan robes she wore a fuchsia jacket that blended surprising well with her blue robes and dark ninja sandals. However once the girl lifted her head, everyone noticed the shikomizue scabbarded in a glossed finished mahogany sheath that she had tucked away in her jacket as well as shining eye to match.

"So this is what you were talking about Hokage-san. Is this the Sharingan I've heard so much about?" Kyuubi asked. Despite her intimate knowledge of how the eye worked, via Tenkai's briefing before the Konoha Attack, Kyuubi had never once seen the Sharingan in great detail. Studying the girl's eye even closer, Kyuubi noticed that the kekkei genkai was not like the one her son received upon his birth. No this eye seemed to be struck somewhere between black and red, slumber and activation. It was as if her I was a smoldering piece of coal just barely holding on to its last embers…

"No, that is not the Sharingan most Uchiha have but is something entirely undocumented. Akane-chan's eyes are entirely something new. Their appearance could possibly be do to the girl's age her bloodline has finished forming, or that she received some sort of mutation as a direct result of Itachi's tampering. However what we do know is that the eye's reacts keenly movements accompanied with ki and it currently takes up no chakra for the girl to use," the Hokage said, verifying Kyuubi's suspicion. As the Hokage's words confirmed, whatever the girl possessed was not of the same line as her son's Sharingan but in fact something else. Something that looked like a cross between her eyes and that treacherous Tengu's…

Shivering at the thought Kyuubi looked down at the girl whilst washing all of her negative emotions away. Whatever the child possessed, she did not deserve any anger or hatred from her. Those emotions would be saved for the blasted bird and his followers.

"So what happens to the child now?" Kyuubi asked, once she realized that the girl had no other family old enough to support her.

"She will be staying with my family. Currently the village is in too much turmoil for me to release a child with such a sensitive situation into the open. Do not worry however all of the other children will be accommodated and have been chosen suitable foster families that can protect them if the need should arise. And as for Sasuke, he is the current clan head of the Uchiha and as such he can have no legal guardian, so once his month of rehab his over we will discuss suitable arrangements for him," the Hokage finished, before receiving a nod of approval from Kyuubi. The man left no visible loopholes in his plan, and for that she was thankful. Having a wise leader in a time of crisis was a commodity too few had…

"I'VE GOT YOU NOW OLD MAN! YOUR TIME AS HOKAGE IS OVER!!" a shrill, obviously prepubescent, voice cried as a thick cloud of chalky smoke erupted from behind the doorway and two shuriken few from out of the smokescreen. Acting quickly Naruto reached down and grabbed two of his wheelchair's spokes, and as if pulling tissue paper he ripped the metal bars from out of the wheel! Now acting on pure instinct the blond threw the rods at the flying stars, catching both in their vacant centers thus rendering them harmless to their targets.

'_**It seems as though your nervous system meshed together nicely. I was worried for a second given the ki the child was using, but it seems your 'automated defense' has finally kicked in,'**_Kyuubi explained, while Naruto looked down at his hands curiously.

'_Automated defense?! What does that mean? Or better yet what does that have to do with how I stopped those shuriken?'_ Naruto asked realizing that he's never reacted that fast, ever…

'_**I really need to work on this kid's deduction system,'**_ Kyuubi thought silently before moving on to explain the situation to Naruto.

'_**When I rebuilt your nervous system, I completely rewired your senses overlay to your nervous system. So now whenever you detect killing intent your body will react in the fastest possible way,'**_Kyuubi verified, watching silently as Naruto computed the information.

'_So basically you ingrained reactions to danger in instinct! Perfect that is the perfect tool for any shinobi,'_ Naruto concluded excitedly.

'_**Almost I've merely routed it so that when you sense any possible danger to you or your comrades, your body will react in the best way it knows how. Making it more like muscle memory in that mind set. This way if you learn a better method of defend against something, for example shuriken, you won't have the ineffective method so ingrained in your body that you can't adapt and become better,'**_ Kyuubi restated. Unsurprisingly a cheer filled her mind, and Kyuubi realized that Naruto may be smarter than he first lets on.

'_Kyuubi one more question though. You said this defense system works off of ki detection…,'_ Naruto started hesitantly as if testing the water.

'_**Yes?'**_Kyuubi said reassuring Naruto that he wouldn't be punished for asking questions.

'_So why did I react so violently. I mean I know the attack was using a deadly weapon, but he's a kid and I can't believe a kid can produce an authentic ki burst,'_ Naruto finished, drawing a sigh from Kyuubi. Fortunately the demoness kept her annoyance silent; she was going to have to murder all of Naruto's teachers. For they, Iruka being the only exception, willing kept one of their own ignorant out of some twisted form of hate and revenge.

'_**Naruto, I'm going to only say this once so I need you to pay close attention. A child no matter what the age can be a threat. As it stands there are kids out there who could be half your height but have killed more men then they can count! Never use age as a discriminating factor in your judgment. And for the record, even though the child's ki was almost nonexistent, to merely take aim and throw a weapon is a expression of killing intent,'**_ Kyuubi finished evenly, her rage continually mounting at Konoha's teaching staff.

'_Huh?'_

'_**Pht… Look at it this way Naruto. When you throw a shuriken you are usually doing so to either kill your opponent or move them into a position where you can better kill then correct?'**_ Kyuubi asked, her impatience finally becoming evident.

'_Yeah, but there's more too that! You could be setting off a trap or signaling reinforcements…,'_

'_**Yes, but the point still stands?'**_ Kyuubi cut in, wanting to finish this conversation as quick as possible so she can brood on fitting ways to kill those who've wronged her human…

'_**My human?! I need to slow down before I become a cougar…'**_ Kyuubi rationalized before settling back into her previous train of thought.

'_Yeah so?'_ Naruto asked unaware of Kyuubi thoughts of him, and his little Namikaze…

'_**Well if that true, well isn't it true that on some level the boy knew he could have taken the Hokage's life with the shuriken? Thus is why you reacted, because any threat to you or your comrades' lives are considered ki by default,'**_ Kyuubi concluded, inadvertently setting Naruto off.

'_That idiot! Whoever he was he could have killed the Hokage,' _Naruto seethed before peering angrily into the smoke while waiting for it to dissipate and give him an outlet for his rage.

'_**Let's not forget Akane as well. No of those stars were flying rather low, and would have nearly hit her if not for your actions,'**_Kyuubi piped in adding more fuel to the fire.

"What so you have a new body guard old man. He's good but I think he'd be better if he put some clothes on!" the boyish voice taunted as he charged Naruto. Again Naruto's body reacted instantaneously, and before the blond knew it he was half way into a submission kata he learned in the last years of the academy.

"Get off me you bully!" the boy cried as Naruto lifted him off the ground, arm still behind his head, putting just enough pressure on the boy's arm to keep him from moving.

"Not until you apologize for what you did. Because of your stupid move, Akane here could have been missing an eye and we as a village could have been missing a Hokage!" Naruto countered as he met the boy's fierce glare. Little did the blond know though, he was leaking a semi-potent ki from his eyes, thus subduing the brat without lifting a finger.

"I was just playing," the boy mumbled bitterly, as he looked away. Satisfied Naruto released the boy from his grip, and with a sigh he eased back into his wheelchair.

"Well it finally seems you've met your match Konohamaru. Someone who won't back down just because you are my grandson," Sarutobi offered at that exact moment, causing the boy's eyes to light up in glee and Naruto's in horror. It seemed as though Konoha's newest genin just got a new rival.

--

Once the business with Konohamaru was over, the Hokage and Kyuubi hammered out a few more details dealing with the Uchiha's case. Kyuubi needed to maintain an activate role in their lives, one so that she could keep tabs on them in case their 'father' moved against the, and two because her motherly instincts would never let her live without getting to know her children. Albeit long-since bastard children, but children nonetheless. Once completed however the Hokage had one more gift to present Naruto and that gift was the _biggest _one of them all.

"Are you sure this is all mine?! Seriously I think even if I made a thousand clones I wouldn't be able to fill this place up," Naruto asked in disbelief as he looked at the old style walls before him. The Namikaze estate was as old as the Senju estate, current the Hokage's tower, and actually predated Hyuuga Estate! In its entirety there were four main houses that connect to one grand building that served as the clan head's home. That home alone would shelter dozens in case of emergency and the complex itself was made to provide a safe haven for villagers during attacks.

Once passed the complex walls Naruto stared in awe at the heavenly gardens that surrounded his ancestral home. His family's namesake hadn't just been for their jutsu apparently. The design was in a class of its own, as water flowed from the tops of buildings and into the flora all around in a timely, almost clockwork, like fashion. Naruto's perception of beauty was forever altered as he stared at the marvel that lay out before him, not once ever wondering how exactly everything still worked after over a decade of negligence.

'_**By Kami's name! The 'hanging gardens' of old **_(2)_** ! No, these aren't those gardens, this is something else entirely…,'**_ Kyuubi thought cryptically, not knowing that her surprise had rendered her thoughts readable to Naruto, via their soul link. The marvel that stood before them predated anything seen in this era, hell Kyuubi had thought all type of architecture this complex was lost during the Era of Chaos during the demon horde's relentless purge.

Needless to say anything that even remotely resembled anything that magnificent, were precious wonders to the world; and even though Kyuubi was awed by beauty of the work, something in the back of her mind, kept bugging her about these coincidences. Who was Uzumaki, no Namikaze Naruto? And why was it that she was place inside him, of all the people in the world. Something was fishy she just didn't know what…

--

After the one grand tour of the main building, for exploring all the other houses would take too long and would be a waste of time, Naruto had fallen in love with house he intended to make his home. Everything was perfect: from the fully stocked kitchen to the assorted hot springs all around the house, which fed into one master spring in the midst of the house's hanging gardens. Keeping his mind off of the various scenes that came to mid thanks to a certain orange little book, Naruto's mind wandered from the only book he had really read and recalled the library that store vast amounts of information. Information that he'd be sure to know thanks to a little technique he liked to call his trump card. With that Naruto cracked a sinister smile as they settled into the clan meeting room.

"Now Naruto I hope you've enjoyed the tour around the house and everything is to your liking," Sarutobi asked humorously. Naruto just gave the elder man a vigorous nod before going back to scheming.

'_And with this palace of a safe house, no one will be safe!' _Naruto thought dramatically drawing a raised eyebrow from Kyuubi. Smiling sheepishly at the fox woman, Naruto merely scratched the back of his head while the Hokage looked on in silence, trying to decipher the unspoken words that cross between the two.

"I'll take that as a yes… Therefore I proceed with the next part of your parent's will," the Hokage said as he brushed his hands across a seal on the table and his family chest from before appeared over the seal. Opening the top of chest once again, the Hokage saw Naruto watching attentively as he pulled out two items from the mysterious contents of the chest.

'_Maybe it's a technique scroll, or maybe it's a sword, no better yet maybe it's a bloodline limit scroll that'll teach me to use a sword!'_ Naruto thought excitedly, ignoring Kyuubi's look as his body coursed with anxious energy. Unfortunately for the blond however, the items Sarutobi retrieved were neither a sword nor a scroll, but were in fact a cloak and a pair of gloves. Feeling his heart fall a little at the revelation, Naruto quickly squashed his disappointment amending that if they were something his parents' left him, then it was something worth having.

"These Naruto, are two of your parent's most treasured possession, and per their directions they are now yours. The gloves are a gift from the Sandaime Kazekage, when your father went to the Suna as my envoy. They were originally intended to be a gift for the Fourth Kazekage, but your father impressed the Sandaime so much that he deemed him more worthy of these gloves than his own predecessor," the elder shinobi explained, genuinely heartened when he saw Naruto face glowing with pride and awe. To the blond the gloves had gone from a lost memento to a priceless artifact in his eyes, for they were something that physically linked him to his father other than just his looks or blood.

Gripping the ecru gloves in his hands, Naruto eyes scanned over the flawless padding before slid his hands into them. The gloves, for lack of any better term, fit like a glove and although he was sure they hadn't been used for over a decade, Naruto swore he could still feel the impression his father's hand had made before him. The feeling was comforting and chilling at the same time.

Once fitted over his waiting hands, Naruto quickly spotted the faintly glowing gems on the backside of his gloves. Throwing a questioning look to the Hokage, the man just smiled and explained that those stones, which were known as kazeishi, made his gloves worth more than the house he lived in! For those stones, when charged with chakra, naturally emit wind aligned energies! However it wasn't for their powers alone that they were so expensive; the stones could only be cultivated in an area that experienced a high level of winds at all times. These places were usually deep ravines and hollowed caves in wind country, areas that weren't normally accessible to miners which made the low supply sharply contrast the steep demand. However before his eyes Naruto had four perfectly matching kazeishi stones arranged in a diamond array on each of his gloved hands, all as a gift to his father from the Kazekage nonetheless!

Turning his attention away from his newest accessories, Naruto eyes wandered back to his second gift, the gift from his mother. Reaching for the cloak, Naruto was surprised to find that garment didn't brush against the ground but instead hung perfectly at his ankles. Fastening the cover around his neck, Naruto immediately noticed the same spiral pattern that had adorned the back of his favorite jumpsuit was now on the none-reflective metal that clasped this cloak around his neck.

"That is the Uzumaki spiral, a mark your mother wore with great pride and dignity even though she had her difference with her family. Incidentally that is the same mark you wore on the side of your jacket, and like your mother I've always believed you carried that mark with pride and dignity, despite your ignorance of its meaning," the Hokage said answering Naruto's unasked question.

Naruto was flattered by the Hokage's words, but he couldn't help but feel a little embittered towards the old man for leaving him in the dark so long about his heritage. It was a dark realization he didn't like acknowledge, but he knew it to be true. Stuffing that bit of self discovery away for the moment, Naruto basked in the warmth that came from his mother's cloak. Looking into one of the story tall mirrors that decorated the room around him, Naruto noticed that his image, although clearly visible, was blurred ever so slightly. Peering harder into his reflection, Naruto noticed that the distortion wasn't coming from the mirror, but the affect his cloak was having on his reflection.

"Distortion, it was one of the special properties of your mother's cloak. Although I can't say I understand it fully, I wasn't genjutsu or seal specialist like your mother, from what I understand the cloak takes any residual chakra the wearer may be emitting a creates a field of sorts that hides the wearer. Although not entirely original, the ability is incredibly usefully as it saved her life on more than one occasion, and yours as well," the Hokage explained before getting another pointed look from Naruto.

"Naruto this was cloth in which you were born onto, and it was the cloak that hid you away before the sealing," the Hokage explained, eyes dancing from Naruto to Kyuubi. Although it wasn't an intentional barb, the secondary meaning was obvious to all those in the room. However Kyuubi's stony expression and lack of commentary, both aloud and mental, were key indicators that the fox woman didn't care. Or was just quieter in her disposition than she let on…

"Really now, I guess I'll have to research my mother's notes from the scroll you gave so I can find out all the things this baby can do," Naruto cut in after the silent became just a bit too unbearable for him to stand.

"Well I will leave you to that. I can't put off my responsibilities as Hokage any longer, and I fear that stack of paperwork I left in the office has only gotten bigger. Enjoy your mementos Naruto, for they prove, without a doubt, who _you_ are and where you've come from," and with that the wizened Hokage rose from the cushioned seat he'd been sitting on and made his way to the door.

"Oh and Naruto, your first mission as a new genin of Konoha is to report to my office at 0700 hours. From there you will get your first assignment," the Hokage said at the door before shunshin'ing out of the complex.

"I'd advising getting some sleep, because I doubt any mission you will have from now on will be easy," Kyuubi suggested before disappearing into the seal; the Hokage's last words having a more profound affect on her than she wanted anyone to realize.

'_I wonder what's the matter with her?'_ Naruto asked himself before he made his way towards the master bedroom. Crawling into the same bed his parents' had slept on, Naruto couldn't help but feel a resonating sense of kinship as he different off to sleep, still wearing his father's gloves and his mother's cloak. And for once in his life, Naruto actually felt like this was where he belonged…

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(1) – Yes I know doujutsu are so cliché, but honestly I really couldn't move a lot of the plot around the way I plan to unless Naruto had a few of these specific powers and the best way I knew how to do it was with a kekkei genkai. Don't worry though this won't be another counter-to-the-Sharingan doujutsu, but will have its own assorted strengths and weaknesses that will be addressed in its own manner. However I will say the doujutsu part of the kekkei genkai isn't its most powerful aspect, and to readers who paid attention well half the answer is already on paper for you (muhahahaha). FYI Seishogan translates out to be Energy Lord Eye but can be translated out to be Law/System/Command Lord Eyes as well, so take that into consideration as you plan your predictions.

(2) – Just an indicator of exactly how old Kyuubi is, and moreover how much she has actually seen. And for those who don't understand the allusion, look up Babylon's Hanging Gardens and you'll understand what I'm getting.

A/N: Well there goes another one, and good news most of this filler stuff is done! But alas, now that the foundation is set it only gets harder, seeing as now I have to take all of the things I have prepared for, both hinted to and hidden away, and make this all work out in a timely fashion. Believe me when I say if I could, I would have all of this done in the space of a few days, but in my heart of hearts I know that for what I have planned, finishing in a years time would be a dream.

Aside from my current fancies for this fic, I will say a lot of stuff manage to sneak into this chapter that was planning to introduce later. Oh well, I guess it just more dramatic irony for me (the writer) to hold over your (you the reader's) head. Don't worry I've never been able to keep a secret for long and I promise that I will tell all as soon as I can.

Lastly, I was recently asked a question regarding the pairing of this fic, specifically who is in the harem. Although up until recently I would have said Kyu/Hin/Ten/Ino a sudden idea made me reconsider Ino's place in the harem. Personally I like her character and even if she isn't in the harem, I still plan to do so character development with her (and her team by extension); but if you could, let me know how you feel about a change (PM would be preferred). Other than that my current muse is telling that in her place I should put a Fem Haku, so if you have any thoughts or comments don't be afraid to speak up. And like always 'twas a pleasure and until next time…

Black Saint

Completed 9/25/08


	5. First Steps

Well the as I said before the filler is done and now starts the true beginning of this fic. The training arc, more will be explained below but the gist of this arc will explain where Naruto will be getting his new abilities from while at the same time set up a lot of things I have planning for later. Don't worry Naruto won't go from dobe to Kage in a few short weeks. More like dobe to true genin, with a whole shit load of potential, in a relatively short amount of time. Again don't worry though, Naruto is merely setting up the basis for his powers and it will take a long while before everything is completely combat efficient and even then he will still have holes as will come to find out muhahaha…

Anyway enjoy this chapter because, as always, I had a blast writing it.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

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Chapter Five: First Steps

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"Naruto wake up," a whispered said into the blond's ear. Shivering at the sensation, Naruto's eyes fluttered open and automatically adjusted to the low lighting that surrounded him. Peering out the window Naruto noticed that the moon was still fairly high of the horizon, and using the moon as a marker judged the time to be somewhere around four in the morning. It was a new sensation, being able to see in the dark so clear, but on that was belittled by the fact that someone had woken him up nearly two hours before his intended time.

"Oh stop your not even sleepy," the same voice called out. Naruto head snapped as if it was on a swivel, and the blond locked gazes with a smirking red haired female standing in the threshold of his room garbed in what seemed to be her normal attire. That attire consisted of a simple tunic most kunoichi wore for comfort and flexibility; however Kyuubi's body took the seemingly utilitarian outfit and made it into something a bit more promiscuous. Sporting an almost scandalous amount of cleavage as well as two long curvy legs, Kyuubi smirked even wider when she noticed Naruto sway a little as the blood rushed away from his head.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I like to be waken up before I have to," Naruto countered making sure to cover himself with his thick blanket. Hadn't he been under his futon, the situation would have been a whole lot more embarrassing and Naruto was glad, for once, that Kyuubi had opted to put on some clothes.

"Laziness isn't a becoming trait, and if you haven't noticed yet your body has made quite a few changes. One of them being, a lowered required amount of sleep to function properly. As of now that time as been effectively cut in half, but once your changes are complete you will probably be able to go a few days without sleep and even then the time needed will be insignificant by normal human standards," Kyuubi explained as Naruto inched his way to his closet to change. He was still clutching his blanket tightly to chest, much to Kyuubi's amusement, who just watched with a coy smile as the boy tried to hide his more 'natural instincts'.

'_I guess it's to be expected. He is still a child… No his mind is far too mature to be called that; Naruto's a complex one, too young to be called a man, but too jade to be called a child. I'll need to some time to pin this one down,'_ Kyuubi commented to herself as the boy came out of his closet garbed in a tightly fitting black shirt and calf high orange pants.

"The jacket would've looked ridiculous so I just put this on with the pants," Naruto said as he looked down at himself. Although his pants were no where near as tight as his shirt they still need to be replaced, or at least adjust so it wasn't so stuffy down there.

"You look fine Naruto, and if you put on your mother's cowl I doubt anyway will notice the difference," Kyuubi offered before Naruto draped the cloak over his shoulders and slipped his father's gloves over his hands. The same tingling sensation ran through him as his body felt the impression that was left from the glove's previous owner and Naruto couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"So why are we up so early?" Naruto asked after completing his daily hygiene routine, it hadn't taken more than a few minutes, thanks for a few chakra control technique taught in the academy, and Naruto stepped out feeling as fresh as if he had stepped out a shower.

"We need to get you adapted to your new body. Although you may have her motor skills back, there are many new things that you are capable of and ignorance of these new features may get you hurt and even possibly killed," Kyuubi explained stressing the last part as she pointed for Naruto to grab his family scroll as well. The blond complied in silence before stepping out the door.

The two strode through the empty streets with a quickened pace, slightly unnerved by the Anbu that followed them right to the edge of the forest lines. Whether he deemed them unthreatening or out of his jurisdiction, neither of the two could tell. However paranoia was a lesser of the deadly sins for someone in their occupation, so neither of them protested when Kyuubi guided them deeper into the woods than she originally intended.

"So how do you plan for me to get acquainted with these changes?" Naruto asked excitedly. He was like a kid in a candy shop, only the candy shop was his body, and the faster he master his body the more 'treats' would be available to him.

"Meditation, although true mastery of this art will take years, a simple understanding of the practice will get you fairly acquainted with your body while at the same time open up your mind to higher levels of thought," Kyuubi explained before being hit with a wave of Naruto's hesitance, via the empathic link the two shared. Whether the link was a blessing or a curse, neither could truly decide given the newness of their relationship. However one perk of having it was being able to easily decipher what the other was feeling at almost any given time.

"Meditation was never my strong suit in the academy, I never had the attention span for it," Naruto admitted mirthlessly, voicing his concern to Kyuubi aloud. Although from whatever small understanding he'd gathered of the kitsune queen, Naruto knew that the woman won't be angry with him for his ignorance. On the contrary she would be angry for him seeing as meditation was a basic skill all warriors, human or youki, needed to be truly effective. However the revelation would leave her annoyed, and an annoyed Kyuubi was much more difficult to work with…

"Hmmmm, I guess we'll have to start small and work up. This will set our timetable back a bit, but I fairly certain that no life threatening situations will arise anytime soon," Kyuubi uttered, keeping her annoyance mostly in check. Of all the negligence she had seen this one was one of the more appalling. Leaving Naruto ill prepared could cost the village much more than one life, seeing as if Naruto failed to complete his mission then that could lead to several more deaths and in the worse case scenario even the destruction of the village! However that was a point many refused to see, and continually went out of their way to harm her human.

'_Justice will be served, my pride as a kitsune demands it!'_ Kyuubi vowed silently as she thought of ways to get back at those who'd wronged Naruto in fitting ways. Concluding that it was a task best left for later, Kyuubi motioned for Naruto to sit with her as she began to go over the basics of meditation with the boy.

"To being meditation is one ability to objectively reflect on thoughts, all thoughts even, at one time. This is both a simple and complex exercise as you are merely thinking but at the same time you are thinking of everything on your mind. A daunting task at first, but as you practice it will become easier and easier until the point where you do it subconsciously at any given time," Kyuubi iterated as Naruto listened carefully. Taking a second to go over the objective once again in his head, Naruto closed his eyes and merely let his mind wonder. His thoughts bounced sporadically from topic to topic, never once settling until Kyuubi beckoned for his attention.

"Nice attempt, but you aren't capturing the essence of the exercise. Meditation is the ability to think without thinking, to review everything in your mind at once from an objection point of view," Kyuubi reiterated, before getting a blank stare from Naruto.

"'To think without thinking'? How is that possibly?" Naruto asked truly perplexed before Kyuubi let out a sigh. From his point of view Naruto had a point, she was being entirely too vague. However this was a simple as it she could state it without leaving out any crucial details.

'_How can I explain this without sounds so… I got it!'_ the fox woman thought before smirking at her genius. It had taken a moment to realize it, but Naruto was meditating all along, he just hadn't realized it yet…

"Naruto did you bring Icha Icha Paradise with you?" Kyuubi asked before a smirk crossed her features when the boy said yes.

"Now I want you to read the book for a few minutes, while I check on something,"

"Okay, if you think it will help then I don't see how it could hurt," Naruto commented before cracking open the perverted novel. It was embarrassing at first, to read such smut in front of Kyuubi. Hell it would have been embarrassing to read Icha Icha Paradise in front of any woman, especially ones who could glean your inner thoughts if you weren't careful enough. However as time passed Naruto quickly fell into a groove, and before he knew it he was reading aloud to himself as Kyuubi listened on in the background.

"… Ichi not here, we can't do _that_ while we're in the temple…" Ruko whispered harshly to her male companion, all the while feeling a blush creep up on her face. 

"Who gonna know Kami?!" Ichi replied with a smirk as his hands continued their minstrels.

'_**Naruto…,'**_ the fox demoness started tentatively. The first steps were crucial to the process of meditation, and Naruto was on the right track. However if he became overly conscious of what he was doing the whole process would be lost.

'_Yes, Kyuubi?'_ The blonde haired boy replied mentally, without lifting his eyes from the paperback book in his hands. Hadn't he been so distracted with his novel, he would have realized that Kyuubi inquiry hadn't messed with his concentration at all. 

'_**You know by talking to me and reading at the same time, you have learned one of the basic forms of meditation,'**_ the fox answered causing Naruto mind to flounder a bit. A momentary step back at best, seeing as Naruto quickly regained his bearing and continued his conversation with the kitsune yomi, only this time aloud.

"What do you mean?' Naruto asked perplexed that something as easy as reading and talking at the same time could be considered meditation.

"You may not realize it, but when you spoke to me you split your consciousness between two things. Me and your book, by doing that you grasped the first step to true meditation, which is essentially splitting your mind into enough equal sections so that you can actively overview everything that may be coursing through your consciousness. Now you are a ways from completing this technique, years even but now that you have a feel for what you need to do going on to the next step should be easier," Kyuubi explained to a wide-eyed Naruto.

He had never, in all his thirteen years of existence, grasped something so quickly and earned any sort of praise from his teachers for doing. Even Iruka-sensei, who was always there to cheer him up when he failed, could never actually say Naruto picked anything up without a significant amount of hard work and dedication. But now for him to just try something once and be told he had a firm grasp on the technique…

His drive to do better had been ignited like never before!

"So what do you have next on the agenda, now that I have gotten this down?" Naruto asked with an excited smile. From what his senses told him, he had at least two and a half hours to learn something new.

"We're going first work on you getting accustomed to that new boy of yours. You have a whole plethora of new things that you can accomplish, and before you go active duty you need to at least be aware of them so that they don't distract if you inadvertently use them. And if time permits we have a whole family scroll to investigate while you grow accustom to your new senses," Kyuubi explained. Honestly she was planning to stretch the meditation, sense, and family training across a long period of time so that Naruto could grow accustom to the changes at a somewhat natural pace. However from the handseals the blonde were forming, Kyuubi could tell he had other ideas in mind…

"Kage Bunshin!!! How's this for time permitting?" Naruto asked with a self-satisfying smirk as a legion of clones filled the numerous branches around him.

"I don't know what you mean?" Kyuubi replied, wondering how so many copies of the original could possibly speed up the process she had in mind, unless…

"I see you figured it out, and a lot faster than I did. Really until you opened my eyes up to meditation, I had no way of contacting the memories of my previous clones together consciously. However now that I have it feels as though I've lived out those clones lives' even though I know I haven't, which then gave me an idea. If I can recall my clones' memories with perfect familiarity in battle, why not use it in training. It will be as if have done a training method tens, hundreds, thousands of times in one go! At least that's what I hope it turns out to be like," Naruto concluded, much to the awe of Kyuubi.

'_For such a technique to exist! Why the lifespan of a human is inconsequential if they can multiple their learning by such huge margins! No if it were that easy the balance in the world would have been thoroughly shifted by now, considering the age of this technique. Naruto may have stumbled onto something great, but nothing that hasn't been discovered before, especially given that the keys to such a finding are only this technique and meditation. No this finding is only so grand for Naruto, because he is the only one able to support it on such a large scale. It is in it's quantity that this method is so valuable, not its quality; and quantity is something Naruto has in spades,'_ Kyuubi finished pensively before looking up at the boy. Naruto was a unique one that was for sure, and her placement in him seemed to be far less of a coincidence than she first suspected. It's as if they were destined for each other, just as Naruto was destined for this particular method of training.

'_At least it keeps things interesting,'_ Kyuubi concluded as a smirk spread on her face, and she and Naruto commenced in their training.

--

Time flew by in a skewed perspective. On one hand, Naruto spent bit over ten days training his senses with the help of one hundred shadow clones. Over that time Naruto learned a few of the limitation of his technique. The first and most restricting was he could only learn as fast as his mind could process the information it received. So basically until he could actively review all of the information, he didn't 'know' any of it. Kyuubi supposed it was a jutsu failsafe so that if all his clones were killed in the middle of battle he wouldn't be overwhelmed with the shock of having that many memories flowing into his consciousness, and given the frailty of a shadow clone Naruto was thankful for it. The second limit as based off of that 'frailty' so to speak, seeing as the clones could not transfer any sort of training other than those thought based.

"I told you to take your experimentations slow," Kyuubi chided the blond walking beside her. It was humorous to watch Naruto rub his nose in irritation, only making the bright red hue of his face even brighter, but she supposed it was only natural. Naruto liked to go too fast for his own good, and the sensitivity of his sense would serve as good speed bumps for him to pace himself.

"How was I supposed to know the clones only served as a marker for my mind, and that when I tried what they accomplished I would feel the pain that accompanied it?" Naruto asked with unusual clarity. His new found intelligence and wordplay was just another reminder of how his monumental change two nights ago changed his life.

"Good question, however now you know that clones can transfer only thoughts and feelings, or to be more accurate the intangible. So things such as conditioning and pain are beyond the realm of understanding when it comes to the Kage Bunshin technique," Kyuubi explained much to Naruto ire. Only two nights ago such words would have been beyond his reasoning, however now Kyuubi's words were almost like a chastising, reminding him of things he'd already deduced.

"I know that, because otherwise my nose won't be on fire if it wasn't true!" Naruto growled back in frustration. Without realizing it talking to an ageless demon had become second nature, and lashing back at her in frustration became just as natural as doing it with a life long friend. A thing that, strangely enough, fit the two intertwined souls very well.

"Thus leading me back to my first point, you should have taken it slow," Kyuubi chimed, leaving Naruto to fume over her point. In the short period they had gotten to know one another, bickering became a sport between the two. Like a mental spar or a battle of insults and wit. Kyuubi usual won, but Naruto wasn't one to go down without a fight.

"Whatever. Just watch, I'll find a way around that stupid limitation even if it kills me, and when I do we'll see who has the last laugh," Naruto retorted much to Kyuubi's amusement. Knowing Naruto stubbornness he just may find a way to transfer the tangible, pain and condition, via intangible means. Doing such would be a breakthrough for shinobi kind all around, given the blond felt like sharing his secret whenever he found out how to do it.

"I'm sure you will, but as it is we won't have time for that now as we have five minutes before our meeting with the Hokage," Kyuubi reminded, using her enhanced senses to tell the time. With a huff Naruto quickened his leisurely pace to a brisk walk as the made their way to the Hokage's office from the forest. The road there was far more annoying than the ride the day prior as his senses had taken another upward turn. Small things such as a change in the air or the steps of a villager were like sand on the skin and bells ringing to his mind.

'_Concentrate and suppress the senses just like Kyuubi taught you,'_ Naruto commanded himself, as he took a few cleansing breaths. His mind detached itself further with every breath, and slowly the annoyances became minor in the boy's mind much like they were before his senses were heightened. The feat earned him a silent round of applause from his foxy companion as it took a sizeable amount of control to pull off and a clear mind only obtained through a meditative trance.

'_**It seems the clone training is working faster than either of us can see… I wonder how far he will progress just with the clones,'**_ the fox mused as they entered the Hokage's tower.

The Anbu guard's stationed in front of the Hokage's office took a, very, noticeable double take when they saw the voluminous form Kyuubi had taken. Holding back a growl Naruto felt a protective surge course through his veins when he noticed lustful feel the men's auras had taken. At least until they noticed Naruto's ki…

'… _There's no way __he__ could have gotten someone who looks __that__ good!'_ both the guards thought as the duo pasted between them, Naruto with a scowl on his face and Kyuubi with a smirk.

"Come now Naruto, if they knew the real me like you do I doubt they would be so willing," Kyuubi said trying to amend the situation. Internally however Kyuubi found Naruto protective, dare she say it, jealousy to be mostly amusing if not a bit endearing. It had been eons since someone treated her as if she would pounce on them at any second or with a rigid sense of respect that left no room for any other emotions. Naruto attitude was refreshing if anything, it made her feel young again, but moreover it made her feel at peace with herself for once…

That peace was short lived once Kyuubi noticed the several people staring at her from within the room. Cursing the limitations of her clone body, Kyuubi swore at her own carelessness as well for allowing so many to slip by her senses undetected. However to her credit, each of the people in the room were experts in their given field and even a jonin could miss any one of them if they weren't paying attention. Not to say her lapse in attentiveness would go unpunished, as the last bits of her conversation were picked up by one occupants of the room.

"And who might the real you be?" a smooth voice asked. Scanning the speaker with a critical eye, Kyuubi couldn't help but be on edge around the youth. Although she could exactly say there was anything noteworthy about the teen, apart from his silver hair, Kyuubi got the feeling that the boy had a hidden edge about him. Regarding the teen as she would a man with a hidden dagger, Kyuubi was set on edge, but played her suspicions off as agitation from his question.

"It's impolite to ask such question without first giving your own name," Kyuubi shot back with a slight glare.

"Kabuto, Yakushi Kabuto. Genin of Konohagakure, and medic in training. And now that that's out the way, you are?" Kabuto asked with a coy smirk, which agitated Kyuubi even more. The boy had a silver tongue, and knew how to use it, both which gave her all the more reason to want to rip it out. However he presented her with a question she hadn't wanted to answer yet, which put her in somewhat of a tight spot.

'_Can't go around being called Kyuubi all the time, knowing the havoc that would cause,'_ Kyuubi mused inadvertently as she raked her mind for a name.

"That is Uzumaki Kasumi, a survivor of the Uzumaki raze and was in hiding until recently. However now that she has come of age she will be commissioned in Konoha as a special genin under my direct jurisdiction," the Hokage cut in saving Kyuubi the trouble of having to lie.

'_I have to hand it too him, that back story is a lot more foolproof than anything I could have thought of on the spot. Although he using that name is a bit too nostalgic for my tastes,'_ the fox queen commented as she just nodded her head in agreement.

"Another Uzumaki eh? I wonder if this is our chance to pay Kushina-sensei back for all the help she's given us?" a rather boisterous kunoichi whispered to a fellow colleague. Recognizing the telltale brown duster and fishnet mesh that emphasized her form, Naruto couldn't hold back a smile as he locked eyes with the famous, or infamous, Mitarashi Anko.

"How ironic that another Uzumaki would walk right into our village at the same time that Kushina-sensei son becomes a shinobi. It's too convenient to be a coincidence, so I'd have to go with divine humor, maybe Kami's finally giving us a break after years of heartache," the sultry voice replied, drawing Naruto attention yet again. The curly black locks and striking red eyes, only accented the beauty known as Kurenai in Naruto mind. It was as if was enchanted under the genjutsu mistress' spell, and like many before him Naruto had no problem with that.

"Divine humor that's rich, but in a way your right, Naruto is his father's son, you can see it in the way he's looking at you," Anko teased, causing a blush to erupt on the blond's face.

"However given his past track record with pranks he definitely as some of Kushina-sensei coursing through him, cause who else would have the balls to tag the Hokage's monument with graffiti? It couldn't have been that, 'by-the-book, boyfriend turned husband she had?" Anko amended causing the blush one Naruto face to turn into a warm glow of awe.

'_The way they speak of them…_They must actually know them," Naruto mumbled aloud drawing the chatting female's attention.

"Yes Naruto-kun, we knew your mother. I, Anko, and one other were her genin students. Kushina-sensei was in every sense our sensei; she taught us everything we needed to know about the shinobi world and more, but moreover she taught us about life and how to stand out as individual ourselves," Kushina put gently as a reminiscent gleam flickered across her eyes.

"Yes she taught us a lot, ranging from how to dismember a man with a toothpick, to how heal such dismemberments with less chakra than a simple henge. Your mother was truth an angel in death's clothing. In a way she became a mother to all of us; Kurenai, I, and Shizune and in payment for that we will try to do the same to you," Anko added as well, a little rough around the edges but just as heartfelt as Kurenai's sentiments.

"I'm glad...," was all Naruto could think so say. It wasn't too often he got choked up on words, but hearing someone speak so freely about a woman he never met, but loved indefinitely, brought an emotion in his chest he hadn't felt in a long time.

"And so are we, but before we can get into anymore specifics how about we let the Hokage finish assigning you, your first mission and from there we will spend time fulfilling what we promised," Kurenai said after a small moment.

'_He is their child, and if that means anything to the world he will as great, if not greater,'_ the scarlet eyed woman added before turning her attention the Hokage.

"Thank you Kurenai, and on a side note I am in no hurry, and as for you Naruto, you are here because there are a few people in this world that loved your parents much like I did and are willing to do anything to help them," the Hokage started before Naruto cast his eyes around the room. With the exception of Kabuto, Naruto knew each one of the occupants on a personally level.

"Tenchi-san and Iruka-sensei, what are you two doing here!?" Naruto asked with an excited chime in his voice. Seeing the gentle giant and amiable instructor set Naruto's nerves at ease, along with Kurenai and Anko-chan they were both people Naruto trusted absolutely. Although it didn't stop Naruto from wondering why they were all assembled before him.

"Well to put it frankly, most of us owe either one or both of your parents a favor, so before that faithful night they assemble us, much like we are now, and made us promise that we would guide you in the best way we knew how. Had it been allowed, any one of us would have adopted you. However because of Clan Leader Act no clan leader, no matter the age, can be lawfully adopted into another family that isn't there own. A stupid rule that was lobbied into our village code during the formation of our village, but it is a law nonetheless. So those bound by your parent's last will waited until you were old enough to realize your lineage, helpfully guiding you along the way, to approach you with our offer," Tenchi finished with a wink. Naruto smiled softly as his memories at the weapon's shop came to mind, and with each passing one the hulking man's words made more sense. The giant weaponsmith had always looked out for him, just as Anko and Kurenai had done in their own respective ways. The realization released a heavy burden off his chest, and for once Naruto had proof he wasn't alone…

"As for me, you changed my outlook on life. Naruto, f it hadn't been for you I may have been well on my way to becoming another Orochimaru. The Sandaime may have taught me countless jutsu and techniques to quell my rage, but it was your indomitable drive and will that made me look at myself; I mean really look at myself and see what my anger was doing to me. Naruto, the Hokage may have saved my life, but you… You saved my soul," Iruka explained with real heartfelt emotion, drawing a few appraising eyes from his peers around him, as well as warm smile from his favorite blond brother.

'_Well on his way to being another Orochimaru, eh… Just goes to show that even a nice guy like that can become a complete psycho bastard if pushed far enough,'_ Anko thought to herself as eyed the chunin teacher. She had never taken interest in the meek type, she found them a bit too tame for her tastes, but this academy teacher was rapidly becoming interesting. On one hand there was a mild-mannered, school teacher who occasional lost his temper, but like a flip side to a coin, there was the dangerous black-opts agent who had been personally trained by the Sandaime Hokage in the ways of the Shinobi. In many ways, she could draw numerous parallels between him and her hated ex-sensei; but unlike Orochimaru, who went off the deep end after he lost his parents and his 'position', Iruka seemed to be able to balance his conflicting worlds.

'_Guess that blond brat is just as good as his mother in that respect,'_ Anko thought wistfully as she recalled the fiery red-head who pulled her out of her depression. Moving her attention back to Naruto, Anko watched as he conversed with the one outlier in their little reunion.

"- I am sorry my father couldn't be here, but a medical emergency came up and I am here in his place. I may be for the best though as, like your mother, I learned all about the world of medical ninjutsu from him and I'm sure I will be able to pass his teachings down to you," Kabuto said with a smile. Although seeming friendly and likeable, Kabuto gave Naruto, and Anko alike, a weird chill. It was as if something was off with him, but then again given their profession, especially his chosen expertise, it was more than likely he saw something that forever altered him to the world.

'_Strange but I've seen worse,'_ Anko amended as she thought of her renegade sensei and her suspicions died. This Kabuto could be as jaded as she was, and was just better at hiding it, but then again that was highly unlikely…

Shifting her cynicism to the back of her mind, Anko focused her attention to Naruto as he made his way to the center of the room. From the look on his face he had something to say, and whatever it was it was important.

"Thank you all, your support means more than you'll ever know to me. All of you knew my parents and because of that you saw it fit to help me without even the slightest hesitation. Hope I can make you, and them, proud and for that cause I will work my hardest in whatever you have planned for me," Naruto managed to say after his conversation with Kabuto. Each of these people were one of his parent's friends, and through them he could get a glimpse of what kind of people they were, and from what he heard they were more than he could have ever imagined.

"Your enthusiasm never ceases to amaze me Naruto-kun, however you don't know what you just signed yourself up for," Iruka said with a chuckled, and soon everyone followed suit began laughing out loud, everyone that wasn't Naruto…

"What do you mean, Iruka-sensei," Naruto asked with a nervous smile. Warning flags were going off in his head, and for good reason Iruka only laughed like that when something bad was about to happen, and by bad Naruto meant for him.

"Let's just say with your current training regiment you won't even notice that a month will have gone by when you're done," Anko answered for the chunin, giving the man a wink for good measure.

"Training regime? Wait, why will this take a month!? Haven't I become a genin and will be assigned to a team?!!" Naruto questioned growing more and more alarmed.

"Normal yes, but seeing as you weren't supposed to actually graduate you were placed on a team to help balance your 'lack of skill' with Sasuke's exceptional skill. A technicality I assure you, but a necessary one nonetheless as this system as saved countless lives in the past. However the reason for the month delay is Sasuke's current rehab status. It will take at least a month from him to recover from the mental damage Itachi has inflicted on him; so during that time you and your other teammate, Haruno Sakura, will be assigned to different graduate posts as Sasuke recovers," the Hokage explained, and much to his surprise Naruto didn't jump for joy when hearing the pink haired girl's name. No not even a passionate light flickered across the blond's pensive gaze.

"So during this time period I figure I'm going to be training with these guys, and what of Sakura what will she be doing?" Naruto finally asked after a long moment. Like before his voice held none of its usual passion for the cherry haired kunoichi, however instead it held a calculated tone as if trying to access the situation.

"She will be covering as Instructor's Aid in Mizuki's steed, a job she is more than ready for, while at the same time she will be going over the many key points of her education once again to better prepare her for her upcoming trials as a genin," Sarutobi answered, heartened that Naruto was able to see the big picture as well.

"Good, so I'm guessing the soon I start the better?" Naruto asked obliviously, before another round of laughter surrounded him.

"Always straight to the point with you ototo, but I'll warn you, I'm not going to go easy on you because I see you as my little brother," Iruka stated as he meet Naruto gaze. Rock hard determination and unwavering confidence were the only things the man could see the boy's sky blue pupils.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Naruto retorted, as the duo departed for their first lesson…

---

"So I'll be training with you, and then going to the hospital to learn medicine, followed by genjutsu training with Kurenai, before seals tutoring with Anko, which is then followed by weapons training with Tenchi" Naruto stated counting off all the practices he was going to attend that day. It was a hectic schedule to say the least, but if he wanted to follow in his parent's footsteps they all would be necessary.

'_And to think there's still my training with Kasumi and my family scroll to go over,'_ Naruto added mentally while wondering of all the cool things he would be learning over the next few weeks.

"Yes that's the gist of your schedule, however it will be up to you to study up on all of these subjects during your own time as well as put forth all the effort needed to succeed," Iruka advised before getting a nod from Naruto.

'_Although I don't doubt you can do it Naruto… You are by far the most amazing person I know, and becoming a medical, genjutsu, and seals master to emulate your mother while investing time to become the ninjutsu and weapons master your father will only prove that fact to the rest of the world,'_ Iruka added internally beaming with pride at the though of Naruto succeeding. It would be a long road, but given the blond's mule like stubbornness, he had no doubt that Naruto would be in it for the long haul.

Making his way into Konoha's forest, Iruka finally found the perfect spot to begin training. Looking at the old practice field with fond memories, the academy teacher could recall all the days he'd spent here learning under the Sandaime and pictured Naruto doing the same. The memories made him more eager than ever to start, so without another moment lost, Iruka dug into one of his various pockets and handed Naruto a piece of paper.

"… And what am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto asked as he held the rectangular piece of paper between his thumb and forefinger. He tried to keep the agitation out of his voice, but being dragged out into the middle of the forest for no apparent reason often grated even the most patient of people's nerves. He was getting nothing, absolutely nothing from the piece of paper, and even though he was far from being an expert with his new senses, Naruto couldn't pick up anything with his heightened perception and neither could Kasumi who was considerable better with them than he was.

"You're supposed to channel chakra through it to test your elemental affiliation, however that's just one of the things I'm testing you for," Iruka responded as Naruto did what he was told.

Once the boy's mental and physical energies mixed there was a surge of visible chakra, because unlike the shadow clone in which Naruto's body had become accustom to creating; any other chakra manipulation, other than the few jutsu he had come to know explicitly, was like water surge out of a fire hydrant. However even though the boy's finesse was like that of a butcher's, his chakra got the job done and as soon as the paper was saturated with the blond's energies the effects of instantaneous.

Splitting from the top corners down to the center, Naruto watched in awe as his paper was cut into three separate pieces before the right end burst into flames and the left became so saturated with water that the actually paper broke apart. Finally, between the two extravagant phenomena, the center of the paper continued to split, and split, and split until the pieces were finer than the astonished blond got grasp!

And as fast as the paper burst into life the remnants of its actions disappeared into natural around him as if the paper was conquered, burned, and forgotten by the world…

"Wow what does that mean, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked still awestruck by the previous 'chakra show'.

"The cutting of the paper represents a wind alignment, while the burning half a fire alignment, and the dampening a water alignment. However the level in which your affinities are is what truly amazes me! The Second was a water user, the Third a fire user, and the Fourth a wind user; so its understandable that they could replicate such a feat, but even then they could only do one! _However you Naruto have a triple affinity, something almost completely unheard of with the exception of bloodline limits, and I have no doubt Kyuubi's meddling has something to do with this…,'_ Iruka explained, while keeping the last part to himself.

"So I guess that means I pretty advanced for my age," Naruto stated with mock innocence, bring a chuckle to Iruka's throat before the chunin just nodded affirmatively.

"However that doesn't come without it's disadvantages," Iruka chimed in as Naruto jumped for joy. Having been brought back down to earth, Naruto put on a small pout as he turned his attention to what else Iruka had to say.

"The most glaring disadvantage his your lack of chakra control, which is understandable considering you have more chakra than either I or any of your sensei can match, possibly combine even, but to fully draw out the potential of any of your jutsu you will need to master your chakra," Iruka began, before getting an accepting nod from his pupil. Iruka let out an internal sigh of relief, at the blond's acceptance, seeing as normal he would have to haggle with the boy for more than ten minutes before he could get anything done.

'_It's as if Naruto thought process has been completely overhauled, and I can't say its not for the better,'_ Iruka commented silently before Naruto meet his gaze with a curious eye.

"And what of the other disadvantages?" Naruto asked with genuine curiosity.

'_He's even will to search out his weaknesses now! It seems Naruto has changed more than I thought…_Well the other disadvantage isn't really a disadvantage when weighted against the strengths you just picked up, but to put it simply since you have such a strong affinity for each of your elements it will be damn near impossibly for you to seallessly mold any other elemental aligned chakra without mixing it with your own alignments," Iruka explained as Naruto soaked in what he just said.

"So I'm guess truly mastering Earth and Lightning jutsu are out of my grasp?" Naruto asked a bit downtrodden. He wasn't so sure about earth jutsu, but lightning jutsu were just cool and not being able to master any of them would be a blow. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as it first seemed.

"Yes and no. Mastering them would take a considerable time for you to master even your strengths, even longer than most because of your control, but it's not impossible. However it'd be wiser to 'work with what you have' first before moving on to other things, that way you will have the control and knowledge necessary to perform those harder jutsu," Iruka amended causing Naruto face to lift. There was still the hope that he would be able to zap Sasuke with lightning at his leisure!

"Well that's a relief. I have big things planned for those jutsu you know, but something you said earlier interested me. You said something about mixing alignments, so is it possible to mix me three elements into something greater?" Naruto asked, wondering what water, fire, and air could manage to make. Nothing came to mind other than steam, which was a discouraging thought, but Naruto was sure he'd find something better if the possibly was even out there.

"Like before yes and no. Mixing elements is usually something only people with bloodlines can accomplish, but there have been a few known cases where a person with dual mastery of two elements can blend them into something more. Take the Kazekage's Satetsu (Iron Sand), the Kazekage was a powerful wind user much like yourself, and through a certain mixture of elements only he knew; he was able to magnetize the air and dust around him into forming iron sand. His technique is still legendary ago the shinobi world, mainly for his lethality as well as its complexity," Iruka added as well drawing another look of awe from Naruto.

"Well I guess I have a lot to work for then, don't I?" Naruto asked, causing Iruka to just smile. The boy's drive was indomitable, and was something that never ceased to inspire him.

"Yes, and to begin we need to work on your chakra control," Iruka explained before with unseen speed and pinpoint precision, the Anbu level academy teacher planted a kunai at the top of a nearby tree.

"Now I need you to retrieve that kunai…," Iruka stated before Naruto eager went to climbing the tree.

"… Without using your hands," Iruka concluded before Naruto feel flat on his back and tossed a curious glace to his sensei.

"Say what!?"

'_Oh we are going to have so much __fun__,'_ Iruka couldn't help but think, as he watched his pupil try to run up the tree with just speed alone.

---

"Okay time!" Iruka yelled, before a chorus of a hundred or so groans hit his ears. After a few mishaps and particularly funny falls, Naruto had finally gotten the gist of molding chakra on the bottom of his feet. Unfortunately for him it seems that along with his feeble control, his chakra was now a fair bit more potent than usual and as a result Naruto had a rather large lump on the top of his head after being jettison off of the surface of one tree and into another. Bruised had healed quickly on the original, but because Naruto had chosen to use his shadow clones then, all ninety nine of his doppelgangers were sporting a large abrasion on the tops of their heads.

"You heard him guys, we'll continue this later," Naruto reiterated as the clones simultaneously poofed out of existence. A small flux of information hit Naruto's consciousness to assure him the memories were there; now all that was left to do was to sort them all out.

"You did surprisingly well. It takes most genin a solid two weeks to finish the exercise but it seems you already have the basics down," Iruka commented as he and his ototo made there way to Naruto next training session.

"If you say so, but I still think five steps isn't much. Fortunately after I go through these memories, the actively should only get easier," Naruto replied as the hospital came into view. He'd been training with Iruka for one and a half hours since 0730 (1) that morning, so with the son fairly high in the sky the Konoha Hospital seemed a fairly intimidating structure.

"I agree, and I must commend you on that training method. A month may not be much time, but with shadow clones constantly multiplying that learning time, you may be able to get up to speed as fast as we hoped," Iruka stated before opening the glass doors for blonde behind him. The structure was reinforced with seals that absorbed the natural chakra flitting around, making the building as strong as steel but as convenient and elegant as glass; a choice that Iruka always that fit the medical center as the art of medicine as a strong but heavily refined one. A fact Naruto would find out soon enough…

"Ah right on time. Naruto-kun, are you ready to begin your lesson," Kabuto asked politely, before Kasumi peeked her head out from around the corner behind him. The disguised fox demon had spoken with Iruka on the way to forest and decided to go on to the hospital for some strange reason, not that it matter seeing as he and Iruka only talked about chakra and worked on his control all morning. However now the red-headed girl would be joining him for his medical lessons, which made Naruto breath a little easier because, for some reason, Kabuto put him on edge.

"Yes, and what have you and Kasumi been doing this whole time?" Naruto asked, as he tried to make conversation with the silver haired boy. Getting to know him may make that eerie feeling he got form him go away, or that was at least Naruto sincere hope…

"Nothing other than accessing her current medic knowledge, fortunately she isn't too far ahead of you so I won't be too boring to her or have to skip anything with you," Kabuto explained as they made their way through the hospital.

While teaching Kabuto was obligated to do his rounds as well, a task that Naruto found increasing fascinating seeing as, with a mere flicker of chakra, Kabuto could heal a patient. It was hard to feel at edge around a person who could take away pain with such benediction, and Naruto could feel from just watching the silver haired boy that he would be able to trust him in due time.

"So Naruto-kun, now that you've gotten to see a little what the med-nin life is like, are you willing to undergo the training to do the same?" Kabuto asked and for the first time his voice held a serious note to it. Meeting the boy's eyes behind there reflective lenses, Naruto could see the underlying passion in the genin's eyes. Medicine was his life, and in order for him to be just as benevolent and skilled as Kabuto he would have to be just as dedicated.

"Yes, I am willing and ready, for if my mother found medicine to be an art worth learning I can't say I don't feel the same way," Naruto replied honestly. Even though his parent's left him a home and wealth, they put heart and soul into their respective arts, and he would be damned before he would forsake any one of them.

"Good, and hopefully in time you won't just being doing this for your mother or to help people, but you'll be doing it for yourself," Kabuto added as he smile knowingly to the boy. Naruto's shocked expression could only be masked with a smirk when he realized Kabuto had read him like an open book.

'_Maybe this guy isn't so weird after all…,'_ Naruto thought as he begun his lesson…

---

"Steady, steady… Consistency in your chakra flow is one of the many things you will need to master in order to be a good medic, Naruto," Kabuto chastised as Naruto control fluctuate once again. Naruto just gritted his teeth a focused, seeing as after nearly two hours of learning they had only managed to get half way through lesson one.

'_Who would have pictured Kabuto as such a task master,'_ Naruto muttered to himself, causing his chakra to flicker again. Seeing Kabuto's glare from the corner of his eye, Naruto reaffirmed his concentration, less he have to sit through the lesson's lecture, again…

'_A trait that is needed for a meticulous art such as this one; now focus! You may know the basics to meditation, but your skill level is not high enough for you to lose concentration on something that is this taxing,'_ Kyuubi ordered as Naruto pushed even more of his medical chakra into lifeless fish.

From what he understood, to be a med-nin one must have near perfect chakra control. A trait that was far from Naruto's grasp currently, however because of his innate ability to form 'medical chakra' the absolute control needed to harmonize the medic's chakra with the patients was no unnecessary.

'_Kabuto even considered my med chakra a medical mystery, seeing as form medical chakra is like forming elementally aligned chakra,'_ Naruto included as the fish slowly began to show signs of life. In a way Naruto supposed he was cheating, seeing it took medics years to get the control necessary to sync their chakra with their patient's and here he was able to do it solely because of an accident. However just because he could naturally form the chakra necessary to heal did not mean he had the control required to use it.

"That's enough Naruto, the fish is dead," Kabuto stated as he observed the dead specimen. Even though the body could cling to life a bit after consciousness was lost, too much time had passed for the specimen's body to hold out for help. Sighing Kabuto supposed he had gotten his hopes too high, as it was the first day of training.

'_But just the thought of having a student who could catch on so quickly… This must be the feeling dad was talking about when he reminisced of his days training Kushina-san,'_ Kabuto mused before patting Naruto shoulder.

"It's alright; you are far more advanced that you should be. There is still a lot of theory you must go over before you will be able to successful do this, even with your medical chakra. However I will say, watching you has assured me you hold much promise, because even with your chakra control you still tried you're hardest to save even the most common of specimen. That sentiment will surely carry over to your actions when on the field, and is something any shinobi would want on there side," Kabuto complimented, bring a smile to the disheartened boy's face.

In truth all that was holding Naruto back was his lack of chakra control and clinical knowledge. Even though he could automatically sync with his patient's chakra, it took spatial reconstruction to mend tissue and bones, skill which is normally learned as the practitioner is building their control. However in Naruto chase he had the end product but not the means to use it, which unfortunately was just as bad as not having enough control to successfully sync with a patient's chakra. However the remedy to that half of the problem would come in time as the boy's other sensei would be working on his control with him in their own various fields. As for the other half of the problem that had a simple solution as well…

"Tonight I want you to start reading these books. It may be a bit lengthy and thick in terminology, but I will be able to answer any questions you may have when we meet tomorrow," Kabuto said as he handed the blond three, incredibly thick books. Looking at the covers, Naruto could tell he would have 'fun' reading up on the subjects of anatomy, biochemistry, and biology seeing as they could directly overlay to his chosen profession; however the though of some much homework it a bit of wind out of his sails.

"I thought I got out of homework when I graduated," Naruto joked before calling up a trio of clones to take the books from him. After discovering the technique's special benefits, Naruto planned to milk it for all its worth, even if it meant having his chakra essential do his homework.

"Hmmm, interesting way of getting around one of the strongest deterrents to medicine, I'm guessing the clones are able to transfer the information to you somehow," Kabuto speculated, after the shock wore off of seeing Naruto summon 'solid' clones.

"Yeah, but it takes some time for me to assimilate all of the memories, so in a sense I will be studying tonight when I meditate in order to better organize my mind for the information," Naruto responded before getting a raised eyebrow from Kabuto.

"I see pragmatic as well creative, those are two traits that'll take you far in this world, Naruto. Be sure to hold on to them, so until tomorrow…," Kabuto left off with a wave as he returned to his shift. With one last look, Naruto let a smile grace his features before turning around and leaving the hospital.

'_Definitely not as weird as he first appears, right?'_ Naruto asked his vulpine tenant.

'_My thoughts exactly…,'_ the woman replied as Naruto headed for the next stop in his training schedule…

---

"Genjutsu, at its core, is using chakra to manipulate an opponent's brain thus altering their perception of reality," Kurenai stated as she paced lightly in front of the several blonds that were enraptured in her lecture. Getting a concession of affirmative nods from the group, Kurenai could suppress a slightly embarrassed smile from reaching her face. To have a group of genin listen to every word you said was a jonin's dream, and in a sense Naruto was fulfilling that dream by having he and his clones both listen and take notes on her lecture. In that respect she felt as if she were finally getting the recognition she deserved, even if she was 'cheating' a little bit.

"However it is the various means in which you can 'change' someone else's world, that the true art known as genjutsu shines the brightest," Kurenai continued on, smiling even wider at the awed, and deviously thinking, faces that sat in a semi circle around her. They were hanging on to her every word and she was loving it…

"Sounds like this has some great pranking potential," one clone whispered to the real Naruto, causing the leader blond to smile in delight. It was then that Naruto couldn't remember for the life of him why he'd always had an aversion to genjutsu? This stuff was practically begging to be polished and sculpted into some pranking masterpiece!

'_And the battle potential it has, it's half bad either,'_ Naruto joked to Kyuubi, getting a small chuckle out of her as well.

'_**Understatement of the day, but your words still hold a grave amount of truth. Illusions are far to potent of a tool not to be used, and given the natural 'aversion' many creatures, both human and demon, have to the art; mastering it would make it even more of a valued weapon,' **_Kyuubi chimed in causing Naruto to be even more anxious to start than before. __

"Before I can teach you anything I need to see how high is your current genjutsu skill level, and from there we can work on what to improve on," Kurenai said before Naruto hopped to his feet, dispelling a few clones and dismissing the rest to other duties; leaving he, Kurenai, and Kyuubi all alone.

"Okay I only know two genjutsu so this shouldn't take long," Naruto stated as he activated his first genjutsu. Without any handseals his visage shifted to that of the Hokage's, pipe included, and with a few exhales of breath the trademark 'Sandaime's ring of smoke' was floating above his head.

'_That's, damn near flawless…Slash that it is flawless! He not only managed to perfectly mirror every feature of the Sandaime, but he managed to change his scent and breathing to match the Hokage's as well. Not to mention he was even able to over come the 'shadow' problem most people have with maintain a shape that isn't their own, but for some reason Naruto didn't have any trouble making his shadow look like the Sandaime's… _Wow you most have studied that jutsu for a while," Kurenai stated clearly impressed.

"Yes, it took me nearly a month to get this down along with the bunshin and kawarimi, but after reading an excerpt from my Family Scroll it made a lot more sense. Honestly though this is the first time I tried to do a henge the way the Scroll describes, and it clearly came out just as good!" Naruto exclaimed, matching the Hokage's voice perfectly, while drawing a curious eye from Kurenai.

'_There's only one way to do a henge, unless…,'_ Kurenai thought suspiciously before reaching out to touch the boy's head. Expecting for her hand to pass through the genjutsu and disturb the chakra matrix, thus ending the jutsu, Kurenai nearly knocked Naruto over when her hand met what felt to be solid flesh.

"How!? Only the Nidaime figured out how to create a 'real' henge! Unless…," Kurenai exclaimed before it dawned on her who exactly Naruto great grandfather was. Shamefully Kurenai admitted she'd forgotten that the Fourth's grandfather was the Second and that it was only natural for Naruto to know the ability. Hell even Lady Tsunade knew the ability, but that was understandable given the relationship between Senju clan and Namikaze. However to see your newest pupil perform what is considered the 'perfect disguise' Kurenai couldn't help but be the least bit shocked and excited.

"Is there something wrong Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked with worry. The blond still had a small crush on the woman, and seeing act like this had shaken him up.

"No, no… Nothing's wrong, it's just you are turning out to be a more surprising person that I originally thought," Kurenai admitted before letting out a little laugh.

'_To think that a newly-minted genin would be able to master the Nidaime's perfect henge in a day after only taking a month to perfect the original henge; the only thing crazier would be if Naruto somehow knew the __Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death__!?'_ Kurenai mused before asking Naruto to show her his second genjutsu.

'_What the!?'_ was all Kurenai could manage before her world went completely black.

"Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer Of Darkness Technique) (2)," was all the genjutsu mistress heard afterwards. Frantically looking a exit, any exit, with her chakra; Kurenai thanked Kami above that Naruto was not an expert at the technique for he left a few opening in which she could escape from. As her senses returned to her, Kurenai looked at Naruto with a disbelieving, almost scared eye.

'_What is this boy!'_ Kurenai asked herself as Naruto rushed to her side. Taking another breath Kurenai merely raised her hand and motioned for the boy to stop; this incident proved to things, he would need to harden his heart in order to become a genjutsu master, and she still had a ways to go before she could reach her potential.

"I'm alright Naruto-kun, you just startled me for a moment. However your skill level is frighteningly high for someone your age, especially since you haven't had any formal training. So may I ask how long have you been practicing this technique?" the red-eyed woman asked, inwardly knowing what was to come.

"Well this was my first time performing the jutsu, and from your reaction I did it pretty well!" Naruto boasted, unaware of the thoughts that were coursing through the kunoichi's head.

'_This boy is a prodigy! To perform to high level techniques with little to no training! Teaching him will be like tempering a precious metal, I will have to go about this with extreme skill and care if I am to do this perfectly… I guess it's like Asuma says, life's only fun when you have a challenge,'_ Kurenai contemplated with a smirk before composing herself. When she was through with Naruto, his genjutsu skills would be a like a masterfully crafted dagger, concealed from view but still poised to strike…

---

"Arrg why is this so hard!?" Naruto shouted in frustration while trying to do one of the five basic genjutsus. The 'Fundemental Five' as they are called set up for all later genjutsu involving senses, as these five teach the user to manipulate and distort sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Individually they can be used to conceal a truth or gain a critical advantage over an enemy shinobi, however when used in conjuction they form jutsu such as the Kokuangyo no Jutsu; which lead Kurenai to having Naruto master these first.

'_This should be easy for the boy, given his skill in the advanced version of this jutsu. Could it be that because the __Kokuangyo no Jutsu takes so much chakra that control isn't exactly necessary?... No that's not the case, its more likely that Naruto can better utilize his chakra in larger quantities, and because he has so much focusing such relatively small amounts is several times harder for him,'_the red-eyed woman analyzed with a critical eye. Although she gathered she was missing a few specifics, her deduction proved to be mostly correct as she watched Naruto overload another one of the 'Fundamental Five' cause the jutsu to collapse itself. Although more chakra normally meant more potency or a wider area of effect, in Naruto case he was putting too much chakra in too fast and thus not allowing it to flow naturally over the minds of those affected. In time, and with much practice, he probably could take such an aggressive approach to genjutsu, but he would have to first master the basics behind the craft.

Sighing Kurenai realized it was more her fault than his; Naruto had shown surprising skill in the genjutsu arts, but like most people who have great innate skill, his schooling on the subject was left lacking. That hole made it hard, damn near impossible, for him to compensate when a genjutsu didn't fit his personally mold of the 'high chakra cost' variety.

"You can stop now Naruto… It seems in my haste I overlooked a serious step in your training and for that I apologize. Due note you have incredible potential for someone so young and I have no doubt that with your particular, mindset… you can become a genjutsu master like no other. However first we will need to work on the basics, and in your case this will probably be the hardest part for you," Kurenai explained with a myriad of emotions laced in her voice.

'_I guess this is what Kushina-sensei meant when she said she saw potential in me… Naruto you are your mother's son and I promise you both that I will ensure the rest of the world will see that as well!'_ Kurenai vowed before summoning a book from one of her seals, which were cleverly used as clothing.

Just as last time Naruto summoned a clone to take the copy and return home for further study, drawing an approving nod from his impressed sensei. Obviously Naruto would be putting forth the effort to succeed and watching him made Kurenai only more anxious to help him, as his mother helped her.

"Well since you won't be reading as we walk to your next training station, I guess I can start the next lecture on genjutsu. Will you be taking notes?" Kurenai asked with mock-innocence, and as before, a score of clones surrounded her with pen and pad ready to take in anything she had to say.

'_A girl could get used to this…,'_ the woman thought as they made their way into town.

---

"Well I'll be, the insufferable snob is actually conversing with someone other than myself and Asuma?" a familiar voice mocked as Naruto and Kurenai approached their destination. The apartment complex they were in was the very same one Naruto beloved academy teacher stayed; in fact Naruto could see the man's place from where he was standing.

"Shut it Anko. Just because I don't go hitting on every hot guy I meet when I'm drunk doesn't make me an 'insufferable snob'," Kurenai retorted hotly, frustrated over the fact that Anko could still push her buttons despite how long they'd known one another. In a way it was endearing to have a friend that knew her so well, because Kami knew she didn't have that many, especially since Shizune left…

"And I'm sure everyone calls you Konoha's Ice Queen, because of your dazzling personality," Anko shot back causing Kurenai to audibly growl in anger. Smirking, Anko realized that after all the years that have passed she could still piss Kurenai off on a whim.

'_Now all that's missing is Shizune playing peacemaker…,'_ Anko added a bit remorsefully, as Naruto looked between the two women confoundedly.

"I may be known as the Ice Queen, but if I recall you earned more than a few nicknames for yourself back in the day," Kurenai countered mockingly, causing Anko to go a vibrant shade of red. This was one of the things that made verbally sparring with Kurenai so fun, she always knew how to make a good comeback.

"Whatever Kouhi-chan (Queen-chan), let me get the brat before we burn up all the day light," Anko said as she regained her composure. Turning her gaze from the smug Kurenai to the confused Naruto, Anko realized the daunting task that lie ahead of her. Sealing was no easy subject. There was no tricks to learning it quickly, only incredible amounts of time and meticulous practice could endow a person with mastery over the art. Added to that was the pressure of teaching her sensei's son; so undoubtedly the thought of being good enough crossed Anko's mind.

'_Kushina-sensei please help me through this…,'_ Anko prayed asking for strength from her teacher, moreover she was asking for patience however because if the kid asked one more question while she was thinking she was going to go boa constrictor on his ass!

"Will you shut up?! Yes we will begin training, yes I know Iruka lives here, and no I not going to try to 'molest' you again!" Anko retorted in agitation to all of the blond's 'rapid-fire' questions.

'_Geez, you play a joke on someone __one__ time and they forever brand you as a pervert and pedophile,'_ Anko mused after Naruto shut his trap. The silence would not last though, because as Anko started talking a cluster of clones were summoned by Naruto to take notes and act as extra ears for the lecture incase he missed something. Although mildly impressed by the boy's forethought, Anko was more shocked by the parallel Naruto had just drawn between himself and his mother.

_This kid… He's Kushina-sensei's son alright, 'cause who else would summon clones to help them with their work other than her? She was the first to use shadow clone training in over three generations and its only fitting her son be the one to take it to this generation,'_ Anko mused as she continued on with her lecture.

"Now tell me what you know about seals and I will fill in the gaps from there," Anko order as all the clones turned and looked at their leader wide eyed. Curious for a moment as to why all the commotion stopped, it dawned on Anko as soon as Naruto started shuffling his feet that the blond knew almost nothing about seals.

'_Perfect! I guess it's not all bad, as to now I don't have to get him to forget all that nonsense he may have heard about seals,'_ Anko rationalized as Naruto tired to wither away from her harsh glare.

"Okay kid pay attention because this is important. Seals are, and this is really watered-down mine you, a mixture of medical ninjutsu and genjutsu," Anko explained before getting a strange look from Naruto.

"I know sounds weird, and I thought the same thing when your mother told me but once she explained it, all of it made sense, so here it goes. Seals are basically the effects chakra has on the environment, people included. Understanding that is how you related seals affect the body to medical ninjutsu and genjutsu, for they are chakra's effect on the mind and body respectively. However that explanation only covers seals that effect humans; because on the flip side you have seals that don't necessary bother humans, such as summoning seals," and with that Anko paused to let the note-taking clones catch up. It was amazing to watch the clones work she admitted, but she also wondered how they well they would be able to understand the next part.

"These seals are pretty much the opposite, for they are chakra's effect on the environment around it; which sounds an awful lot like ninjutsu right? Well in a sense those types of seals are, but the main difference is that these variants of seals have a huge edge over ninjutsu, they come prepackaged. This is the reason why battle seals, as many call them, are so popular despite the fact that so few can actually make them. Not only do they save chakra but they save time, a commodity that's in high demand during combat situations; because if you think about it an exploding tag will go off long before most ninja can finish a fire jutsu of equal power, so in essence you are getting a quicker 'bang' for less than half the buck," Anko explained and much to her surprise the clones managed to stay with her the whole explanation.

'_Wow this kid may be able to master this on top of everything else he has,'_ Anko commented silently as Naruto finished taking notes.

"So I'm guess that's why my mother studied medicine as well as genjutsu; to get a better understanding on seals and how they functioned," Naruto added as he pieced together the puzzle that was his mother.

"You don't know the half of it kid, because believe it or not your mother told me she was considered a failure by her family the majority of her young life! It shocked the hell out of me considering that through her studies she was able to make findings in both areas of sealing due to the inverse properties the two types of seals had on one another, but we'll get into that later. Going back to your mother, from what she told me, her family considered that because she didn't instinctually grasp seals and had to study two, lesser, subjects 'just to understand' she was deemed unworthy of being clan heiress. I don't know the rest of the details, but from what was implied she mentioned that because of her lack of skill she was sent to Konoha to be 'of some use' to her clan," Anko spat, actually happy when she felt the anger well inside Naruto.

'…_To believe I had family that was such scum… I will never forgive them, not a single one of them,'_ Naruto vowed to himself, regretfully happy that all of his Uzumaki kin were dead and buried. As far as he was concern he and Kyuubi were the only living Uzumaki, and if he had his way it would remain that way…

"Enough on that though, I'm sure your mother will explain all of that to you in greater detail once you starting studying your family scroll. However for your first lesson I figure we'll start with battle seals and work our way back to body seals, seeing as they are generally less complicated to make and more excited to use," Anko stated with new found vigor. Having someone to vent her anger with was therapeutic, or that's at least what Kouhi-chan kept telling her; and having Naruto there to mimic both her anger over their mutual loved one and excitement over what's to come was definitely that.

'_I wonder if this kid will be good with explosives,'_ the woman wondered as she took at some paper and ink and began their lesson…

---

Pft…

"What happened all it did was sizzle and stop… Did I put enough chakra into the seal?" Naruto asked Anko who was looking down at the tag with a critical eye.

"No it's not that… I think you put too mu-," but that's as far as she got before the tag went off blow a whole in the ground behind her apartment complex and knocking down a tree to boot.

"I think it's time for me to get to my next station," Naruto said nervously before making his way around the building as the landlord's yells became clearer.

"You read my mind kid, now let's move!" the irresponsible teacher yelled as she passed the blond in her mad dash towards Higurashi residence. In a mere two hours the blond and brunette had become friends, more like co-conspirators with similar minds sets, but friends nonetheless. In Anko, Naruto saw glimpses of his mother and things she held dear; and in Naruto, Anko saw visages of the person Kushina was and the things believed. Ironically enough they both saw Kushina as a mother, one surrogate and the other by birth, but neither were smart enough to realize they treated one another as siblings because of it.

"I can't believe you did that! Haven't I taught you anything," Anko whispered harshly while avoiding an Anbu patrol. Ever since Naruto's 'parting present' at the Uchiha's, explosive tag regulations were taken up a notch and if this got traced back to her, well let's Anko would be sober for a long time…

"No actually! And weren't you the one who said, and I quote, 'the more chakra the better'? Some advice a teacher should be giving a first time student, I swear Iruka was never this irresponsible," Naruto shot back as they continued on their way to the Higurashi home. Weaving away from Anko's attempt to straggle him, Naruto thanked Kyuubi for opting to create 'automatic defense' instinct, otherwise he'd be gasping for air right about now…

"Yeah what do you know? That academy teacher's probably way too timid to even try something like this, let alone show he was responsible enough to guide an idiot like you," Anko fired back. Like Kurenai, Anko had found all the right buttons to push with the blond boy. Naruto was competitive, so insulting his skills was like a big red button for Anko to go buzzer-happy on; while at the same time the boy was incredibly protective of those he cared for, so insulting one of them was a guranteed outburst.

'_And in three, two, one…_ Take it back Anko!" Naruto yelled, completely the woman's prediction. The lost honorific signified the boy's seriousness, but then that only made the game more fun for Anko. So with a bit more goading, they were running through the streets causing a scene for all of Konoha to see.

"Hell kid, you may need to master seals because with that speed the only way you're gonna catch anyone is with a snaring seal!" Anko taunted as she danced right out of Naruto's range. As they both grew more frustrated and fixated respectively, neither one noticed the Anbu drop down from the roofing until Anko ran straight into the man. Instantaneously the woman's body reacted, whipping out a kunai and aiming for the man's heart Anbu was kunai veered off course just as she realized who she was acting. Jumping back, she stared into the masked man's eyes peeved that she'd be caught off guard so easily.

'_Whoever he is, he's better than most. To sneak up on not only me and Naruto but in broad daylight at that! I'd better be careful, this one may actually be a challenge for me,'_ the woman thought before falling into a defensive stance as the man's hand moved up to his face.

"I was called in to check a domestic disturbance, and given its been a few days I figured I'd check and see if you were playing any jokes first ototo and I was right you were running wild in the streets as usual," the newly revealed Iruka said with a smile, relieved Naruto hadn't been in caught in the accident. However that wasn't to say the blond was completely innocent, and with one withering glare Iruka could tell his little brother was hiding something…

"So care to explain why you are running in the streets, or do I have to check for eye witnesses before you'll confess?" Iruka asked jokingly while staring down the boy. Naruto sagging shoulders were all the evidence he needed, unfortunately he wasn't just dealing with Naruto…

"Hey teacher-Anbu, where do you get off accusing me and my pupil of causing explosions," Anko asked, before noticing her slip of the tongue when Iruka merely raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that an admission of guilt Mitarashi-san?" Iruka asked formally, as the gears in Anko's head began to turn. If she couldn't guilt her way out of this, than she was going to have to use her secret weapon; because after all she was dealing with a man, and men all had one common weakness.

"Iruka-kun, isn't there anyway you could let us off with a warning?" Anko asked as she closed the distance between her and the scarred chunin. Her voice was husky and lust ridden, and her cleavage seemed even more noticeable from Iruka's position, but the chunin was able to hold his ground.

"I could think about it, but you'd owe me one," the chunin managed to say as he regrouped, keeping his brown eyes locked with Anko's and not her ever-noticeable 'assets'.

'_He's good, I'll give him that,'_ Anko commented as she backed off, more than mildly impressed at the man's control.

"Well its settled then, I owe you one and with that we'll be on our way," Anko stated as she and Naruto made their way past the chunin.

"I'll hold you to that Anko," Iruka said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves and smoke.

'_Wouldn't have it any other way…,'_ Anko thought as the Higurashi residence came into view…

---

"Good to see you again Naruto-kun, and for once I can actually say that free of any guilt," Tenchi stated exuberantly while meeting the boy's eyes. After six years of working under the man, Naruto had gotten a feeling of what type of person Tenchi was. He was a kind, caring man who devoted himself solely to his work and daughter, and from the few hints he'd gotten from Tenten Naruto suspected his wife's passing had something to do with his current state of demeanor.

"I know if you could tell me then you would Tenchi-san, I'm just glad you accepted me in your home all of these years… I know how that must've effected your business," Naruto replied sullenly, remember the looks he'd gotten from customers as they hurried out once noticing him.

"Nonsense! If they could look past their own pain to see what you are, a proud young man with an unspeakable burden, well then they don't deserve to use any of my weapons!" Tenchi exclaimed shocking Naruto out of his funk.

In a way the large man was good for situations like that. He was the epitome of 'cheerfulness' and to those who knew him a few minutes with the man would brighten up their day. That thought alone made Naruto excited about studying under the man, as weapons was always a favorite subject of his after his apprenticeship at the shop.

"So with that out of the way, I'm guessing that you're ready to begin. However before you do I will explain this once…," Tenchi said, pausing to ensure Naruto understood the severity of the situation.

"The way of the weapon you will be learning, your father's way of the weapon, is one that does not shy away from bloodshed. If apprenticed under this style, you will temper your mind and body to be like that of a honed blade; once unfurled your enemies will know no mercy, and your judgment will be as cold and decisive as that sharp end of your weapon… So I will ask you this before we begin, can you willing accept this training, knowing that its sole purpose is for ending the life of others?" Tenchi asked and for once his trademark 'cheerful' aura was gone. 

"I don't know… My philosophy has never been to kill… However if it is to protect Konoha and all that I, and my parents before me, hold precious then I will willing give anything to ensure that truth," Naruto stated passionately.

'_Spoken like a true Hokage… That's Minato's boy alright,'_ Tenchi thought as his smiling aura returned; heartened by the fact that Naruto would use his blade solely for protection and not for destruction.

"Good answer, one that will surely be tested by the world however. Anyway enough of that seriousness, let's move on to the fun part of your time here, training," Tenchi said excitedly as he lead Naruto to the back and into the dojo.

The dojo, which took up half of the first floor of the home, was decorated with spotless hard wood floors and countless weapons hanging from the walls. Ranging from as far as naginata to katana, the weapons on the wall were all expertly crafted and were taken from the front of the shop for one reason or another. Further scanning the walls, Naruto eyes landed on the ninjato (3) he'd seen on his first visit to the shop.

The blade rested upon the wall, scabbarded in a lacquered black sheath, Naruto could see his own reflection from the glossy finish on the ninjato's sheath. Noticing that the blade sat alone at the highest level in the home, Naruto felt Tenchi's hand land on his shoulder as the man stared at the honored weapon with him.

"Naruto do you know each weapon in here has its own story… All of which belong to a dear friend who carried them into them into their respective final battles. As the crafter of each of these battles I couldn't be more proud by the fact my friends would trust their lives to my craft, and with each of their deaths I honor that trust by placing them here. Naruto this dojo is my own personally Nirvana, a place where I can reach my enlightenment and see the memories of those passed through the things they carried in life…," Tenchi's solemn words stuck a chord with Naruto. Silently the blond looked around the room reverently, trying to soak in a fraction of the truth Tenchi found in the room. Again Naruto's eyes landed on the ninjato.

"It's funny however that you would pick that blade over all the other's in here. I guess its only fitting as the one blade I fail to make on time would be so heavily tied to you, and given your unpredictable reputation it's even more so fitting that you'd pick up on that tie instantly," Tenchi mused aloud as Naruto looked at him with a confounded gaze.

"Sorry boy, just an old man babbling about the past… Naruto what do you know of that sword?" Tenchi asked, eyes still locked on with his own reflection.

"Tenten said it was made for a dear friend of yours, and given what you just told me that friend died before you could complete it for them," Naruto answered trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yes that sword was made with the sole into of saving Konoha from Kyuubi by harnessing the powers of the Shinigami. An arrogant goal for a mortal to have, but nonetheless I chased it with all of my being. However that wasn't enough and because of my failure the Yondaime gave his life to save our village and since then this blade has been resting here in my home, as a constant reminder of my personal failure and savior… It's times like this where looking at my creation is both heartwarming and painstaking, as on one hand it a surviving testament to my most noblest of friends, and on the other it's living visage of a world where he may have lived," Tenchi explained to an awed Naruto.

'_**To think that a human could make such a blade… To harness the power of death is a power no single being should control, and yet at the same time if it were possible so much heartache could've been avoided,'**_ Kyuubi mused from the back of the room. Standing off to the side had forced her to realize something… Naruto's training was just that, his training, and although she'd been more than welcome to join all of his practices; seals was the only subject that struck her fancy, everything else was something she'd already studied in depth over the course of many millennia.

'_**There's probably something else I could do to pass the time while I wait for the seals lessons,'**_ Kyuubi figured before her mind began to tinker with the options at hand and the other logistics of her new lifestyle. Outside of the demoness' thoughts, Tenchi had taken down the revered from his post to let Naruto get a closer look at the blade as he completed his explanation.

"This is the blade in which you will be learning Ryusuiken (4), the style your great-grandfather perfected, and the style your father used during his days as a shinobi," Tenchi uttered as an impassioned ring found its way into his voice. Gripping the handle of the blade in reverse, Tenchi held the sword as if it was sheath on his hip and beckoned Naruto to come.

"Come see if you can best the river that's flown since the dawn of our village" Tenchi challenged, letting his ki flare for the first time in Naruto presence. The force was as crushing as the Inu Anbu's had been all those years ago. However unlike that young Naruto who'd been knocked out by the blast, this Naruto managed to stay on his feet, but even he had to admit it still took a conscious effort to maintain his sentience.

'_This is Tenchi! The man, who laughs at everything and wouldn't hurt a fly, can be this intimidating! Is his aura really this suffocating?'_ Naruto asked himself before bringing his hands together to form his favorite jutsu. More than a dozen shadow clones were formed from his frightened burst of chakra, and once the smoke cleared all of them surrounded the static man.

"Charge!" Naruto cried as all the clones launched themselves at once, each more powerful than the Naruto two days prior and each far more able in battle. Unfortunately Naruto's new found skills were enough, hell they weren't even in a factor in his blitzkrieg as in a flash all his clones were destroyed.

Looking up from the ground, Naruto's eyes followed the still sheathed sword up to Tenchi's standing form, only so much as a lightly fluttering of the man's robes told that he'd moved.

"H-how were you able to move so fast?!" Naruto asked after he tried to find the answer himself in the clone's memories. So far he'd only got a disjointed mass of images each representing how a single clone died. Individually the images weren't confusing seeing as they all showed Tenchi wielding the ninjato as it dealt some sort of critical damage to a clone. No the confusing part came when Naruto tried to connect how Tenchi could be wielding the sword with one hand in one image than wielding it with the other in the next without even the slightest lose in skill!

"There are many answers, most of which centered around years of training. However from the shocked look on your face you, or your clones, must've caught something unorthodox about the way I wielded this blade, right?" Tenchi humored, only to get a dull nod from a still awestruck Naruto.

"Well the secret lies in the mastery of Ryusuiken, because like a flowing river the blade must flow with the body as if it were part of it. By mastering that the sword will become a part of you, and you a part of it; this is something that transcends mastering kata or special techniques, this is your blade becoming a reflection of you and interchangeable with any part of your body. This is why I can handle the blade with both my arms, without the slightest difference in skill; and to master this style you will have to do that same," Tenchi finished before helping Naruto up with one hand. Once to his feet Naruto looked up at Tenchi with surprise when the giant of a man was offering the scabbarded blade to him.

"I can't accept this! I'm not ready-," Naruto started before Tenchi stopped him with a stern look.

"Nonsense! This was made for your father, and since he isn't here to claim it than it should be rightfully you're as his son. I have no right to it, you do, and that's that," Tenchi uttered with stubborn cheerfulness. Sighing Naruto knew he wouldn't win this battle, so with a slightly shaking hand he took the ninjato. Studying the sheath closely, Naruto noticed the flowing fire patterns that were etched into the lacquered finish and instantly connected back to the same pattern that had adorned the back of his father's cloak. The connection to his father was heartening, and with great pride Naruto tied the ninjato from his back thus drawing an odd look from Tenchi.

"What?" Naruto asked noticing the look before he went to inspecting his persons for something off.

"Nothing, it just seems we'll have to hold off training for a moment to make sure you are outfitted with some proper clothing," Tenchi added with a chuckling as Naruto face-faulted.

"You can't be serious?" Naruto asked groaningly.

"Deadly. Tenten get your things dear we're going shopping!" Tenchi shouted making sure that Naruto caught the deviously twinkle in his eye, when he called his daughter. It wasn't a little known fact that Tenten wasn't like most other girls; while many preferred talking about boys to sharpening kunai and pampering their body to grueling days of hard training, there was one thing Tenten had in common with the female masses, and that thing was shopping.

"Please Tenchi-sensei you can't do this to me!" Naruto shouted in fear. He'd made the mistake of going shopping with Tenten once before, and had regretted ever since that day. For what started as a simple chore to go my some more material turned into a four hour long shopping marathon, which left the eight year old blonde grasping for air and clutching his feet in agony. To this day Naruto never understood how Tenten managed to do it all without looking the least bit exhausted, but his curiosity wasn't nearly strong enough for him to relive that experience willingly.

"I'm sorry Naruto, it's for the greater good. Besides what type of friend would I be if I let by comrade's son go into battle in nothing more than a tight fitting shirt and grossly undersized pants," Tenchi asked with mock-severity.

"A good one who knows the dangers of shopping with your daughter," Naruto shot back desperately, but it was to no avail as Tenten was already down stairs and ready to go before he could even get another word in.

"Have a good time you two!" Tenchi yelled, before getting a crazed look from Naruto.

'_He's abandoning me!'_

'_I am sorry Naruto and Kami bless you for you will need it,'_ Tenchi prayed as Naruto was dragged out the front door, leaving Tenchi to his work.

"Now to step this up while their away. I wonder if we still have the blunt kunai?" Tenchi wondered aloud before brushing the thought aside, because it what Naruto would be doing blunt kunai or not he'd still be hurting by the end of the day.

---

"I hate you," Naruto mumbled weakly as he staggered into the dojo, shopping had thoroughly worn him out. Physically he could have done that for days, but mentally however… Another second would have left permanent scarring.

"Come now Naruto hate is such a strong word," Tenchi humored while looking at the plop himself down onto the dojo floor. From his vantage point, Naruto could tell why this place was so calming for Tenchi. The smell of pine contrasted nicely with the sharp scent of metal and the neutral beige and tans decorating hall allowed the mind to wonder without any inferred emotions via colors.

'_All it needs now is a Zen garden like back home and it'd be perfect,'_ Naruto thought silently as he continued to let his stress ebb away.

"Well I hate you for abandoning to _that_ fate… Four hours, fourteen stores, four hundred outfits… You have any idea how torturous that is?!" Naruto shouted at the snickering man.

"Welcome to my world, and I'll have you know her mother was at least twice as bad, but if there's any silver lining to this situation then let it be this one. Now you can go out into the shinobi world with your favorite color and not look like a complete moron," Tenchi replied much to Naruto's ire.

'_He's delusional if he thinks anyone can be worse than Tenten. However I have to agree, this outfit does look pretty good,'_ Naruto thought as he looked over himself again. Dressed in black and orange, Naruto could still recall the hour he and Tenten spent arguing over what would be better in the field; all black or all orange. The argument lasted so long that the store's owner ordered the two to compromise or they would be forced to leave. So as a result Naruto now was fitted in a black jacket with two orange panels on the front and back side of the torso, and black pants with similar panels on the sides of the leggings. The colors contrasted well together, so well in fact that the store's owner commented on how much Naruto reminded him of the Leaf's native tigers in the Forest of Death. That comment spurred Naruto into filling his whole wardrobe with the same outfit, replacing his old orange jumpsuit, thus giving the boy a far more sophisticated look.

"Silver lining or not, can we get on with the training. I need to forget all that shop as fast as I can," Naruto urged much to Tenchi's amusement.

"Alright kid, but remember you asked for this," Tenchi warned before instructing Naruto to stand in the center of the dojo.

"Okay Naruto, this is the first exercise of the Ryusuiken; all you have to do is deflect the kunai around you with your sword," Tenchi explained. Naruto just nodded, figuring how easy this exercise would be with his 'sixth sense', before the first kunai was launched. The whistling of steel cutting through the air was the first thing that alert Naruto of the weapon's position, but unlike the shuriken Konohamaru had thrown this own hadn't been launched by human hands; because of that minute fact, there was no ki behind the blow and with no ki Naruto had no automatic defense.

"Oww what the hell?!" the boy yell in exasperation before countless other blunted blades came flying at him from the very walls of the dojo. Moving to draw his blade Naruto found that it couldn't be removed from its sheath, so with increase frustration Naruto just held the scabbard sword as he would a bokken and took a defensive stance.

'_Kyuubi what's wrong with me?! Why isn't my body reacting!'_ Naruto asked as he was begin pelted form all angles.

'_**I should have suspected this would happen… Naruto the defense system only works off of the perception of ki. Without that key element it is up to you to defend yourself from incoming attacks,'**_ Kyuubi explained prompting Naruto to begin swing at the incoming knives. His efforts were very helpful as Naruto hit far less than he missed; only adding to his frustration.

'_Much help that'll do, why didn't you just overlay my defense system direct too my senses that way I wouldn't have this problem!'_ Naruto groaned as a kunai hit him right on the back of the head.

'_**And what, have you react to every sudden sound or flash of moment as if it were life threatening? Naruto, that would be far less productive of a system: as one it would be far to inconvenient for practical use, and two your own skills would rot if everything was done for you,' **_Kyuubi rebuked, causing Naruto to think over what she'd said. Of course he found the fox woman's words to be true, and with renewed determination he began to focus.

Much like meditation, focusing on all his senses took a broadened state of mind, which to actively use on a whim was almost impossible. However Naruto managed to get some control over the situations increasing his perception of surrounds thus increasing his defenses; and change that was visible noticeable to those watching.

'_Good he's getting the first steps, it shouldn't be long before he can master them,'_ Tenchi thought as Naruto continued dodge and deflect income projectiles.

Slowly the flying kunai began to reduce in number and before Naruto knew it he'd deflected the last flying knife. Sagging to his knees, Naruto felt his right arm grown unhappily from the exertion. Even for his new body that level of intensity was still trying for him.

"Good, good your movements are still beyond rough and your perception is still bad, not to mention you only used your sword in one arm; but all in all good for a first try. Now to make things a bit more complicated," Tenchi said before setting a ring of metal around Naruto's feet.

"You are not to leave this circle," Tenchi commanded as the kunai were summoned back to their respective launchers. Throwing a heated glare at Tenchi, Naruto girt his teeth as the man pretended he wasn't there before the onslaught began all over again.

---

"Kami what a day," Naruto said to himself over a steaming bowl of ramen at his favorite ramen stand. His body ached abnormally from all the stress it'd been up under that day, Naruto realized it was a good hurt for in the end it would only make him stronger.

"I can't wait for the tomorrow, right Kasumi," Naruto asked while looking at the red-head beside him. It was hard to think of Kyuubi by any other name, but in public he'd always have to maintain appearance less he start a riot right in the middle of village.

"Yes, but I won't be joining you for training Naruto," Kyuubi stated factual without looking up from her bowl. Although she was a sentient being trapped in a proxy body, if left out for too long she would experience all the normal signs of life, such as hunger and fatigue, just like any other human. A trait she found positively irritating given all her life as a higher being then a demon, both of which did not need food and sleep in such quantities as humans.

"What do you mean Ky… err, Kasumi!" Naruto shouted stumbling over the demoness name yet again. His outburst was visibly ignored by the eating female, and it remained that way until the girl was down with her food. Upon setting her chopsticks down, Kyuubi turned to face Naruto thus locking eyes with the visibly irritated blond.

"Look, this is your training, something I will take little to no benefit in. Most of the subjects I am already extensively knowledgeable in or have no interest learning, so to better utilize my time I will be going over other things while you work," Kyuubi explain. Listening to Kyuubi cool explanation took all the fire out of Naruto's refute, but still left the blond curious to what she'd meant by 'other things'.

"Instead I will focus on these 'Uzumaki Seals' and from what I've read it will take me months if not years to fully comprehend all of them, a task that I will have to devout my full attention to," Kyuubi explained, drawing an shocked look from Naruto. Although there was an explicit amount of trust between the two of them, the same did not hold for all the other citizens of Konoha; especially the Hokage, and if he caught wind of Kyuubi studying seals in great detail he may think that she was trying to break the seal that bound the two together.

"I guess that's alright, but be careful with your research," Naruto advised. To the people around them it sounded like the worried warning of a friend or loved one, but to the two conversing parties it meant 'don't do anything that may cause trouble' and was a sentiment both parties respected.

"Believe I will, and in the off time I've been looking through some of the techniques your father created and I have to say one really caught my eye," Kyuubi said with a smile.

"And what might that be?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious what type of technique could bring a smile to a nigh- all knowing demon's face.

"The Legendary Hiraishin," was all Kyuubi had to say before she had Naruto's full attention.

Read and Review

Sorry to leave you guys with a cliffhanger like that, but this is by far my longest chapter. Smashing my last record by at least 4k words and my average for this fic by 6k I think its time to cut this baby off now. Hopefully you guys enjoyed all the things I had packed into this baby, because I know I enjoyed writing it. Speaking of things I enjoy writing, Anko has to be the best character to write about! I mean her character is so perfect! Serious she's like the female equivalent of Naruto, who you can add loads of crude humor and make just priceless 'awkward situations' with. I'm just dying to write more of her!

Moving on though, I'd like to say a lot of the things I've said or set up in this chapter will make more sense later. Those that may seems too weird I've placed a number by and I will explain in part now to avoid confusion. Other than that, bare with me as I still have much, much more to write about and who knows maybe this could turn out to be a great fic.

(1) Simply Greenwich Mean Time, which I figure is fitting seeing as Konoha is a military affiliated town. However from now on I may just call it Greenleaf Mean Time, just to stay in sync with the whole Naruto universe.

(2) This is the genjutsu Naruto saw in the scroll a few chapters ago. Hopefully the chakra explanation was enough to explain the stretch in skill need, however Naruto affinity to genjutsu can be chalked up to a lot of things, which can include Kyuubi's meddling.

(3) Literally the ninja equivalent to a katana. I did a bit of research and found that although Sasuke uses a chokuto, it isn't necessarily the ninja blade standard so to say true to as many facts as possible I decided to convert Naruto's blade to that to keep some sort of historical accuracy.

(4) Meaning 'Flowing Water Sword', I honestly can say this style came to my head after reading both the manga History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi and Thundereaper's Dichotomy of Namikaze Naruto. The former have a style that will become more paramount in the fic soon enough, and the later having a style simply own as Ryuudou (the flow to those who don't know).

Well that's if for now, the edit should be on the way sometime in the future and stay tuned for other updates as well. Anyway 'twas a pleasure, and till next time…

Black Saint

Completed: 11/2/08


	6. The First Hurdle

Well I guess last chapter wasn't as good as I thought it was… No matter ever onward as the saying goes and hopefully this one will be better for your viewing pleasure. Finally I can start adding some more plot elements as you will see soon enough, and I can finally get the ball rolling on a few of my ideas. Anyway enjoy, because I know I did.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

--

Chapter Six: The First Hurdle…

--

Pop…

Thud…

"Goddamnit!"

The three sounds were like an ever-beating drum, a drum of humiliation and failure for the blonde teen attempting to recreate his father's legendary technique. It was a huge undertaking despite its deceiving simplicity. In theory the Hiraishin was similar to a supercharged shunshin, but to call it as such would be an incredible understatement. The Hiraishin was superior to the shunshin in every way, trumping the common technique in speed, subtlety, and even charka consumption; so knowing that, it was understandable to say that in order to even attempt to learn the legendary 'Flying Thunder God', Naruto would first need to master the shunshin. This however, lead to the current situation with the 'drums'.

"Damnit Kami! Why can't I get this?!" Naruto yelled to the heavens, a trait he'd recently picked after begin his 'Hiraishin training'. Muttering angrily Naruto almost resented the fact he'd let Kyuubi talk him into it. The fox mistress had been firm, also obsessed, with Naruto making progress on his father's technique calling it, quote unquote, the greatest thing human's had accomplished, short of fictionalized porn. However interests in literature aside, Naruto recalled when he first started his training a little over two weeks ago and the words Kyuubi uttered once she began explaining the Hiraishin.

'_This technique is mind boggling! The Fourth, your father, was a true genius. He took the ground work for advanced summoning, a theoretical art focusing more on traditional practices rather than progressive advancements, and created something so innovative I doubt I could recreate if put in the same situation,'_ Naruto thought, recalling Kyuubi's praise for his father's work. Really, credit should have been given to his mother, who tutored the Fourth in sealing, but once Kyuubi started getting into the specifics of the technique it was evident that this technique wasn't something that could be merely taught.

Elaborating further on the 'supercharged shunshin' train of thought, Kyuubi began to explain that like summoning the Hiraishin broke a living being down into their basic elements, thus allowing them to travel at a speed similar to that of light. That speed was so fast that it could overcome the barrier between planes, and upon activation the user would be transported to their destination instantaneously. However once again Kyuubi explained that their was more to the technique than that, because considering the process involved in moving the user's body, the Fourth had to overcome the glaring problem of staying alive after he broke his body down into the elements. Needless to say there was to be extensive shadow clone testing before actual practice began.

However before Naruto could even begin shadow clone practice of the technique, the blonde would first have to master the shunshin, which was giving him an insane amount of trouble. Creating the handseal yet again, Naruto let the ram seal do it work, thus molding chakra all around his body before releasing it to his desired location. Only thing was Naruto got to the releasing part before everything went haywire. After being shot off like a cannon, ninjutsu smoke included, Naruto was sent hurtling into a nearby tree as a result of his faulty chakra control.

Pop…

Thud…

"Goddamnit!" the blonde yelled yet again before picking himself up. The training session with Kyuubi was not going so well.

"So I see you're still having trouble with the shunshin," Kyuubi stated lightly, her voice mockingly-observant as she stated the obvious. Finding irritation in the demoness' haughty quirk, Naruto gritted his teeth as he bit back his comment. Verbally sparring with Kyuubi was often fun, if not exhilarating, however even with his expanded vocabulary Kyuubi always came out on top. So in efforts to save himself from another defeat, Naruto remained silent much to the disappointment of his 'sometimes furry friend'.

"Ah not taking the bait today… Fine be that way, I guess I'll just have to skip to the point of my whole interruption of your errr, training," Kyuubi commenting trying one final time to bait Naruto into an argument. The blond merely looked at her with impassive eyes, clearly not playing into her game, causing Kyuubi to act more like a pouting child rather than the ageless vixen that she was.

"You win! For now at least, but I promise by the time you get started on this you'll be back to your normal, _outspoken_ self," Kyuubi stated with a sense of enthusiasm that was unexpected of someone of her history.

'_Then again nothing can be __expected__ with Kyu-chan,'_ Naruto concluded once he recalled the foxy lady's 'unusual' demand to be referred to as such. Honestly Naruto wouldn't have had any problems with it, that was if Kyuubi wasn't so serious when she told him or ignored him when he called her Kyuubi or anything else. However after a while, a week in reality, saying it became second nature to him especially after becoming more accustom to Kyuubi's various character quirks such as, chronic porn reading or a constant need to argue and cause mayhem.

'_No wonder I was such a wild child! With all that pent up energy and mischief trapped in my body, it was bound to leak over into my personality,'_ Naruto rationalized as he thought back on many of the pranks he pulled. Which to some were reminiscent of his mother's previous pranking escapades, but after listening to some of his mother's stories via the scroll, he could see that he was in a class of his own. Like him Kyuubi attested it to her 'foxy nature' leaking over to him and Naruto only hoped that disregard for modesty and an overly playful nature wouldn't be crossing over any time soon.

'_But Kyuubi does have a nice rack,'_ Naruto caught himself thinking, before an eruption of giggles flitted in the back of his mind. Kyuubi was listening in on that last part, and with a mental grumble Naruto realized that he wouldn't be hearing the end of this one any time soon.

"Physical appearances aside, I think I may have found a solution to your current chakra control predicament," Kyuubi joked lightly before tossing a scroll to Naruto. Realizing it wasn't anything he'd got from his various teachers, the now common excitement of learning something new seeped into Naruto being. Tearing into the scroll Naruto was delighted to find that technique he would be learning was one originally created by his father!

"The Rasengan! Mom and Dad told me about this through their recordings in the scroll! They said Dad combined this technique with the Hiraishin to make the ultimate offensive combo," Naruto recited with pure excitement as he eagerly began to read the first step to mastering his father's famous technique.

"Here you're going to need these as well," Kyuubi uttered before tossing Naruto a pack of balloons, which the blond container caught without taking his eyes off the scroll. Smirking Kyuubi noted to herself the boy was getting better at perceiving what was around him, before making her way to her favorite tree branch. Her smirk however turned somber once she realized the limitation of her proxy-body yet again; because even though the shadow clone technique gave her a semblance of freedom, she was a being made and supported completely by youki which made almost all human techniques inaccessible to her.

'_Though there is a chance I could learn the Rasengan seeing as it is a control based technique, but until I am able to find a way to maintain a more 'sturdy' form, I doubt attempting the Rasengan would be of any use,'_ Kyuubi reasoned, recalling the horrible backlash that accompanied the improper use of the technique. Looking down at Naruto, Kyuubi realized the boy was quite a way aways from that point as he reached his first road block in the technique.

Grunting from the exertion, Naruto grit his teeth as he pumped more chakra into the balloon as he beckoned the water inside to rotate faster. He had, whilst Kyuubi was privately musing, read over the first step of his father's technique several times as a few of his clones filled up the water balloons in a nearby stream. Upon their return Naruto began attempting to recreate the fabled spiraling orb; however it didn't take long for him to realize the huge hamstrings he would have to overcome.

'_Argh…My control, I need more control,'_ Naruto ground out as he observed the speed in which the water was turning. Although the liquid filled balloon was bulging oddly from the rotating chakra, it wasn't nearly enough to stress the thin rubber into breaking. The feat would take some ingenuity, Naruto belated realized once he quit swishing the water around in the balloon, and examined his throbbing arm with a quick diagnostic jutsu.

'_Great chakra burns, I guess that means Kage Bunshin training is out for the moment,'_ Naruto thought grudgingly, cursing his lack of control for making him do this the 'normal' way. Naruto supposed he was becoming entirely too reliant on his shadow clones to help his training along, but after realizing how much he'd missed because of the negligence in the academy as well as exactly how much there was out there to learn, the abuse of one simple technique seemed to be inconsequential in the long run. It wouldn't be until years that Naruto realized the benefits of doing things manually, as he liked to call it, when compared to reviewing a clone's memory. The first hand experience was always more potent then that of relayed sensations via an expired doppelganger, especially when the first hand experience was 'massage training' with the fairer sex.

'_Interesting the chakra flow seems to be a bit more stable now that the repairs have been made,'_ Naruto noted as he observed the flow of chakra through the diagnostic jutsu. The technique was no Byakugan, however it did give the user an intimate look at the inner workings of any human they happened to lay eyes on. Heartbeats, Respiration, and other natural function could be observed with the utmost ease, given that the user knew what they were looking at, which was a valuable ability to all med-nin. Using those abilities Naruto investigated the cause of the new found control, however miniscule it was, and found that by continuously molding chakra the lingering aftereffects of his 'transformation' could be dispelled quicker.

"Very interesting," Naruto muttered, intrigued by fact that the 'familiarization' process could be sped up. The process, which Kyuubi explained to him after their first few 'senses tutoring session', was simply Naruto's subconscious mind learning to completely grasp all its new found abilities. Thus making the whole thing frustrating slow for Naruto, because normally process started when a person is born so that when they begin learning to mold chakra their mind's and body's were in perfect sync, allowing their chakra to be formed without any disturbances.

However because of the 'incident' a couple weeks prior, Naruto's mind and body were in a slight disarray which disturb his chakra just enough to make all the cool things like genjutsu creation, fundamental sealing, and medical jutsu all out of his reach for the time being. This put a larger blocker on all those respective areas, so in an attempt work around the road block all of his teachers had him begin reading up their various subjects, thus getting Naruto's understanding of their subjects up to speed so that when they could resume training they could save time on explanations. The only people that weren't severely affected were Iruka, who was teaching him normal ninjutsu, and Tenchi, who was helping him with kenjutsu and how to integrate it into his fighting style. However that did not stop them from giving him reading as well, as they firmly believed that a deeper understanding of their respective arts could only be beneficial.

So read he did, and despite the lack of 'hands-on' learning Naruto found that with his increased intelligence he could retain and comprehend what the books were telling. That immediately sparked his curious nature, and before the blond knew it each morning he had a horde of clones making their way to the library, all reading and taking notes on a variety of subjects. So great was his drive to learn more, Naruto took it upon himself to broaden his horizons and branched away from the tradition technique scroll or history memoir; thus finding himself in economic and political guides and manifestos, unintentionally grooming himself towards his ultimate goal.

Musing on the thought of being Hokage for a moment, Naruto returned back to his current predicament with a longing sigh, wishing that his body would hurry up and sync.

'_Could help it along by channeling more chakra, thus forcing my subconscious mind to get used to forming chakra in conjunction with my body, however to do that I'd need to not only expend a dangerous amount of chakra but do it so quickly I undoubtedly complicate my injuries with severe chakra burns,'_ Naruto reiterated to himself, before genius struck him. What if he regulated chakra with clones while he flushed his system? The attempt couldn't hurt, seeing he'd study so far ahead in his medical text books that he could possibly teach an introductory class, and it was better than sitting around doing nothing.

So with renewed vigor Naruto hopped to his feet with a water balloon clutched in his right hand. Summon a clone with a half ram seal, Naruto was delighted to see that his idea worked, to a point…

There was still an incredible backlash, thus making it unfit for clone usage, however seeing as his clone was channeling the chakra but merely moderating it, Naruto could focus on 'flushing' his system of as much chakra as possible while his clone directed healing energies into the offended limb. The sensation Naruto was getting from the process was beyond weird; it was as if his arm was trapped between a searing heat and a soothing breeze, tossing him in a continual cycle of pain and relief.

Cutting of the chakra link once the clone exhausted itself of its healing chakra, Naruto founded that the chakra coils in his arm had yet again become slightly more stable making it vaguely stand out when put in comparison with the rest of his body's coils.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to balance them out then, aren't I?" Naruto asked no one in particular, before creating four clones to moderate each of his main appendages and foregoing the water balloon entirely in favor of releasing massive amounts of chakra from his arms and legs.

The displacement of chakra nearly knocked Kyuubi off of her tree branch, but with a sly grace akin to that of a wild fox, Kyuubi expertly regained her balance before turning her eyes up to the forest canopy.

'_**Did something just move there?'**_ the demonic vixen wondered silently, as she let her eyes linger for just a moment longer before turning her gaze back to Naruto's workout. The yomi queen was sure she spotted something moving in the tree line, something that was definitely larger than a bird…

---

"Naruto you have to use you chakra like a net, gathering the water so that the surface tension becomes great enough that you can form a semi-solid platform," Iruka cried out to the sweating blond as he stood on the surface of his artificially created lake.

To his credit Naruto was doing much better when compared to his performance in the last two weeks; however unlike tree climbing, which simply required the user to keep their chakra within a fairly wide margin, water walking was a much more precise art. Thus is the reason Naruto was having such trouble with it as his coils stabilized. However by the looks of it, Iruka could see that the process had indeed made some progress as Naruto was now able to stand atop the water rather than waver for a few moments before plunging into the shallow depths.

Splash

'_Spoke too soon,'_ Iruka groaned belatedly as Naruto yet again took a plunge into the waist deep waters. A few angry bubbles rippled along the surface from the blond underwater cry before the sun-kissed container surfaced himself to vocalize his frustration to the world.

"Why can't this go any faster!? I've flushed my system for all it was worth, and after all that work I still can barely stand onto of water," the boy groused before wading his way to the edge of the bowl shaped depression. Climbing onto the edge of Iruka's earth jutsu, Naruto laid flat on his back, thus turning his eyes to the sky and letting his mind rest before he burst with more angry energy.

It wasn't fair. He now had more teachers than he knew what to do with, a mind that was responsive and comprehensive, and all the chakra in the world; but no control what-so-ever to put anything he wanted into effect! On top of that the problem wasn't something he could work away, and Kami knows he tried that; he'd spent hours, both clone lived and physically working, reading on chakra control exercises and ways to improve himself, but none of it helped. Even the one technique he could use to help could only do so much, and with constant usage he doubted that a few ill-trained clones could prevent any permanent damage should it arise. He realized then that he was stuck in this no-man's land of abysmal chakra control until his body was ready to move on, much to the ire of his incredibly impatient mind.

It was a feeling Iruka could empathize with, as he'd spent long hours trying to perfect his chakra control in order to master the techniques the Sandaime had taught him. Earth and Fire, the two elements as native to him as the air he breathed, were of the two most unruly, and taming them took time and patience. That was a lesson Naruto was learning himself, and like the Anbu grade academy instructor, the blond boy was taking to it like a fish to a sand dune.

Even Kyuubi, who was idly watching them work from a little ways off, was at a loss as her best suggestion had been some 'secret technique' training. Which truthfully only worked up until a point before Naruto was forced to stop, or risk setting his training back even more because of damage he did to himself.

'_No, Naruto needs something to take his mind off of the actually process…,'_ Iruka figuring, realizing that the blond trying to force the problem away was causing more harm than good. Just then an idea struck the academy teacher like one of the Sandaime's Raiton jutsu, and it was then that he realized that he'd have to do what his teacher before him had done. Smiling at the sheer thought of the exercise, Iruka made his way over to Naruto, ready to see just how alike he and the blond truly were.

"Naruto, I think its time we tried a different approach," Iruka suggested as he stepped into Naruto view of the heavens above. Blinking once, Naruto merely sighed before dragging himself to his feet. Even though all the logic in his head was telling him it was useless, the Uzumaki-Namikaze Heir was not a quitter. It was a fact both Iruka and he took comfort in, despite however trying their trials were.

"What do you have in mind Iruka-sensei, because I honestly don't know where to go from here," Naruto questioned, his skepticism overriding his eagerness for a moment. Getting a few handseals instead Naruto could only hold back his awe as his sensei executed a perfect shunshin; no smoke, no pop, just merely phasing in and out of existence.

Upon their exit, Kyuubi rose to her feet grumbling to herself about the absolute rudeness of some humans. Biting back a few comments unbefitting to her dignified form, or at least that what she told herself, Kyuubi tensed for a moment as she felt something approaching quickly. Cursing her lack of awareness; she was once again confronted with the limitations of her proxy-human body, leaving a bitter taste of vulnerability in her mouth. For her to go from being about to detect even the tiniest of life form within the reach of her near limitless youki, to barely being able to make out a shinobi as they shunshin'ed right in front of her was like a slap in the face. The thought alone brought a fox like snarl to her face, putting the masked character in front of her on edge.

"You would be wise to calm yourself _woman_, I have orders to kill when attacked," the Anbu muttered in chilling monotone. The masked man was no taller than Naruto, after his transformation, and was cloaked in a white garb similar to the said blond's black cloak. Suspiciously decorated with a flame pattern, the man could have passed for a masked Yondaime if it hadn't been for his height and the said Hokage's death. However that did nothing to set Kyuubi's worries at ease, as the anonymous shinobi reached for his scabbarded ninjato on his back, showing his intention to carry out his words from before.

'_He must be using a jutsu of some sort, one that would distort his real voice so that it could never be recognized,'_ Kyuubi deduced after hearing the dreadful sound. The fact that the man in front of her was using such a technique was raising all the red flags in her head. What were his intentions, and why would he wait until she was alone to approach her? Were just some of the more prominent thoughts coursing through the demoness' head. All of which did not lead to a promising solution.

"As I said before, calm yourself, I only have orders to kill when attacked," the Anbu reiterated, doing little to alleviate the vixen's tension.

"So are you here to subdue me then, because I'm sure you wouldn't have waited until I was alone just to talk to me," Kyuubi retorted, trying to think of some means to defend herself. As with the Rasengan training before, most, if not all, of her youki techniques were useless to her until she mastered the control of her body; which in short relied on Naruto getting his chakra control up to par because her limitations were tied to his limitations. This left the woman nigh-defenseless, seeing as she couldn't mold convert youki into chakra, and her body was fragile as wet tissue paper when compared to that of her opponent's. Her only hope would be if she some how managed to flare her youki up enough so that it'd alert Naruto and Iruka to her current situation, assuming that they were within range to feel that flare…

"You overestimate your worth to my master, as well as underestimate our intelligence. We know that you are a mere clone, and what's more we know what you are a clone of. However that information is not important to us, what is important are your current intentions for the village," the Anbu stated, and with that he took an aggressive stance. Although it wasn't made completely evident, Kyuubi's buffered senses could still pick up traces ki lingering around the man's form.

"I don't have to answer to you or your master. The only person I even have to considering speaking with is the Hokage himself, and assuming from this secretive meeting, he doesn't have anything to do with this," Kyuubi countered, recalling her 'special genin' status. Also Kyuubi realized that there was another faction who knew about who she truly was, and looked by the looks of it they weren't working for the Hokage.

'_Well that certainly complicates things,'_ Kyuubi rattled off to herself, trying to make light of the situation at hand. Any tension or anxiety would only serve to complicate matters, something that was being done well enough on its own; so while the Anbu stood silently trying to discern what to say to Kyuubi's remark, the fox let all her nervous energy go. Letting the nervous energy ease out of her system, Kyuubi's mind began to clear and her incredible think powers could go to work.

'_Facts: he obviously isn't working alone, knows of my real identity, and its working with the Hokage. Speculation: could be impersonating someone already dead, possibly has infiltrated the Hokage's intelligence center, or is working with a rogue unit of Anbu all together. Motive: currently unknown,'_ Kyuubi analyzed quickly, as many possible theories were created and entertained before being ruled unlikely or plausible. Currently the rogue Anbu seemed most fitting, and from what she understood of the organization, via Naruto's studies; she knew the real organization was loyal until death to their Kage leader. That theory left two questions however; who were they loyal to now, and what were his intentions. However those couldn't be answered unless she was able to get the Anbu to talk, which seemed less and less likely as more time passed between in silence. 

"It seems this meeting was a waste of time however be warned any aggression towards our village will only end in your annihilation, and to prove our point…," the Anbu began before disappearing from sight. Kyuubi's youki sprang out as if it had been tightly coiled up inside, but before it could reach noticeable levels it began to wane considerably.

'_What in the world…,'_the vixen matriarch thought, as she felt a familiar chakra. Wondering what a technique a human could use that could possibly cancel out pure youki, despite its small quantity, baffled the woman as she was bombard with one simple finger strike. Hitting her right in the sternum Kyuubi didn't have a chance to blink before she was a cloud of smoke, consciousness hurtling off to its container.

"Mission complete… Reporting to Danzo now," the Anbu voiced over his hidden headset, before disappearing in a smokeless shunshin.

--

"Naruto do you know why the forests of Konohagakure are so special?" Iruka asked Naruto lightly, his true nature as a teacher showing itself yet again. However despite Naruto renewed vigor in his studies, the boy wasn't as knowledgeable in his village's history, and certainly couldn't call upon any obscure history facts he may have known when still seeing stars thanks to a certain Anbu's shunshin.

"These forests are no more than ninety years old, and yet they stand just as tall as any tree more than millennia old," Iruka continued on, taking Naruto's silence as a 'no'. Looking up to on of the said trees with pure admiration, Iruka hoped to impart the same lesson that the Sandaime before had shared with him.

"This is because of Senju Hashimara the man who would become the First Hokage, and the original owner of the Will of Fire. This forest was his gift to his village, in which he changed the barren Land of Fire into a lush forest where all life could prosper," Iruka stated, his inner Fire glowing for Naruto to see.

What Naruto saw couldn't be as easily described as pride or belief in one's country, it was something greater. No, what Naruto saw was the same thing that was in every Konoha shinobi's eyes as went to battle, fought for their loved ones, and the same thing that was there when they laid down their life for their village. What Naruto saw was the very Will of Fire incarnate in Iruka, the same will that his father had when he sealed the Kyuubi.

The sight itself was awe inspiring, if not a bit daunting…

'_For who am I to be in the presence of someone with some much faith, that's the word faith, in their cause, and consider myself their equal?'_ Naruto questioned, and for the first time truly wondering what he was doing.

Ever since he was little he'd always wanted to be a shinobi, and that drive only strengthened when he realized how much respect a person garnered by simply being one. So for him, a friendless and despised pariah, it was only natural to want to gain some sort of respect from his peers. However now he questioned it all when faced with what a Konoha shinobi should be like.

'_Am I doing that right thing? Is my dream to be Hokage all a lie?'_ Naruto asked, his question rattling his very core. To be Hokage was something every shinobi wished, whether they screamed it to the heavens like he did or they secretly wished for it like a certain Hyuuga did for the said blond; however now that he questioned his choice to be a shinobi it was only one step further until he questioned his dream to be Hokage.

"You know Naruto, you and the Shodaime-sama are very alike, and I'm not talking about that fact that you both are relate. When you saved me back there in the Uchiha catacombs, I couldn't help but realize that you, someone so much younger than I, had already inherited that gift in which the First left all of us. It was inspiring really to see you give your all just to save a comrade, which is what I believe the First meant when he said he entrusted that Will of Fire to us. He wanted us to protect what was precious, and you showed me that without a doubt you could do that even when the odds were against you," Iruka confessed, not knowing he'd solved Naruto's conundrum.

The said blond could only look on with his mouth agape, floored by the fact that his teacher had clarified some much for him in an instant. Here he was questioning if he should even be a shinobi and Iruka, quite frankly, proved to him he was perfect for the job. The teacher's words were humbling in the extreme, despite their intention to do just the opposite.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei, I think I finally realize what a shinobi is supposed to be," Naruto replied, getting a bewildered eyebrow from his sensei. Chuckling to himself, Naruto waved a hand dismissively before asking a question of his own.

"So Iruka-sensei, why did you bring me out here? Is there something about this place that'll help me master my chakra?" Naruto questioned, as he too looked up at the impressive heights around him.

"Yes, as a matter of that there is; because like I said before these trees are a gift from our previous Hokage to us, the inheritors of this land. So with that said we must protect this land, a fact the Shodaime too realized, so to help us he made sure to add these seals to each of the various sections of forestry," Iruka explained before waving a chakra filled hand over a particularly large tree.

Engraved in the bark was the intricate sealing power, one Naruto could partial recognize from his studies. The part he could recognize was the glyph that indicated that the item sealed could be manipulated or altered in some way, which was immediately put into effect as Iruka channeled a bit of chakra into the seal, thus contorting the whole area into some present training field.

The ground split as a path of racing water came between Iruka and him, while the tree tops became obscured with thousands, if not millions, of leaves. Naruto looked around in unsuppressed awe, at the transformation taking place. There, where a thin cluster of trees stood, was now a winding path of raging water leading up to a ten story tall rocky waterfall.

Turning to Iruka, who didn't look the least bit winded, Naruto's fascination only became more apparent when the Anbu level instructor pulled a bell from one of his pockets before skewering it with a senbon he sent flying towards the waterfall nearly a mile away. The senbon lodged itself under a jutting rock under the waterfall, the bell still strung to the metal needle, and thus saving it from being washed away.

"Naruto this is the exercise Sarutobi-sama introduced me to when I was having problems with my chakra control. He said it was pasted to him by our First Hokage when he himself was having control problems, so before you have any doubts know this is a time tested method," Iruka explained. Naruto just nodded, wide-eyed and eager to begin.

"So what do I have to do?" the hyper-active blond asked, trying to contain his excitement.

"All you have to do it beat me to the bell," Iruka said with a smirk before taking off into the trees.

"That's all!? Hey wait stop you cheater, you started before me!" Naruto shouted after his instructor, his feelings of sibling rivalry boiling over at the thought of a competition.

--

Without a doubt Naruto could say that he was having the most fun he'd had in a long time. The mixture of a footrace, capture the flag, and tag was undoubtedly the best way to get over the frustrations of honing one's chakra control; because unlike simply practicing water walking or tree climbing, Naruto got a chance to let his mind focus on another task while instinct took control over the actual control application. In that Naruto found that chakra control was a lot like walking, all he had to was find his balance then let his body do the rest.

'_So I was just over thinking it then,'_ Naruto realized as he jumped from tree to tree, senses on high alert and his exciting mounting with each passing second. In his few encounters with Iruka, there had always either been a spray of metal or a flash of fists, thus making the 'game' only that much more exciting for the scheming blond. However even Naruto could tell that the academy instructor was going easy on him, because why else would he let him score a haymaker other than to show him he was fighting a clone?

'_Shit a trap!'_ the blond exclaimed when he tripped over some wiring. Courtesy of his newfound senses Naruto twisted in the air and catching his foot onto a nearby branch, clinging to the smooth bark via chakra. Kicking off the branch once he saw a log heading his way, Naruto dodged the wiring sprung trap with effortless ease, once again showing the drastic change his body underwent because of the 'incident'.

Land on an adjacent branch Naruto let his smile widen as he realized that as the game went on he was having more and more fun overcoming Iruka's various tests. Now with even more vigor, Naruto took off towards his target, dodging blunted kunai and other hidden traps along the way. Nothing could stop him: not his faulty chakra control, not Iruka's traps, not even a full squad of Anbu could stop him from reaching his goal! And it was this that mentality that Naruto reached the base of the waterfall, not even winded by the mile long sprint through a trap infested forest.

Throwing caution to the wind Naruto ran up the mass of falling water, relying solely as his exteroceptive senses to guide him away from the bombardment of projectiles being flung at him from behind. With each falling footstep Naruto could feel his goal getting closer, and once again that feeling of invincibility invaded his mind.

'_I can't stop, I won't stop, NOTHING CAN STOP ME!'_ Naruto roared in his mind, the notion echoing throughout his being, and if possible, beckoning his body to move even faster.

His speed carried him upward after he leaped for the senbon-bound-bell, only to see a transparent hand emerge from the void and snag his objective just as his fingers enclosed around it. Grasping nothing air Naruto started up at a smiling Iruka before falling to the warm waters below. The blond did nothing to slow his fall, or even cover himself before he hit the 'punchbowl' that'd formed under the plunging waters above.

"Fun huh? You just wished you'd expected the unexpected?" Iruka joked as he stood crouching over Naruto's floating form. The blond, who was half submerged, could only look up at his teacher's smiling face silhouetted by the sun above before exhaling a long sigh. He'd wanted to win so bad, in fact he could have sworn he'd felt the cool metal of the bell before it was snatched away without so much as a chime.

Treading water until he reached the shoreline of the waterfall's bowl, Naruto laid out on the smooth gray gravel idling tossing a pebble up and down as he stared at the sky yet again. He felt accomplished, for he'd finally water-walked without too much trouble, but defeated at the same time, for obvious reasons. The two conflicting sentiments left him slightly confused about how he felt. Had he failed the test the Hokage's had passed down from generation to generation? Or had he merely proven he could do something as long as he didn't stress over it?

"You did good Naruto, well at least certainly better than I did when Sarutobi-sama introduced me to this exercise," Iruka stated, once again clearing the haze of confusion that clouded the blond container's thoughts.

"So getting the bell was never the true objective!" Naruto interjected loudly.

"Of course not! You are far too inexperienced to beat me in any sort of skill based competition. If I wanted I could have had the bell back in my hands as soon as you laid eyes on it. No this little 'game', was to get you to relax a little and learn at a more natural pace," Iruka explained, irritating his ototo a little by basically saying he could be him at anything and everything.

"You're saying that my tension over trying to master my chakra control was what was slowing me down, and not the 'newest' of my coils?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but your anxiety definitely had something to do with it, and it turned out I was right; because as soon as you got into the game, your control problems didn't seem so bad, did they?" Iruka said before making his way over to a nearby tree.

"Not really, but water-walking is still like trying to walk through quicksand," Naruto commented before following after his sensei.

And again with a simple wave of his hand, Iruka activated a seal placed by the Shodaime Hokage transforming the waterfall back into a simple forest clearing. Watching as the rock formation disappeared back into the earth, and the torrents of water be swallowed into the terrain depths as well, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little excited for seals training that day.

'_And if Anko comes sober that'd be even better!'_ Naruto exclaimed hopefully. The blond had seen his some what eccentric sensei little beyond tipsy on more than one occasion, something that embarrassed him far more than it did her he realized after it happened twice in the same day! However his only reason for concern was not for the general health of the snake charming kunoichi, he'd learned the hard way that even when drunk she could kick his ass, but for himself as seal crafting while intoxicated could lead to some disastrous results.

Putting demolition grade explosive tags out of his head for a moment, Naruto focused back on the task at hand, or better yet lack of one. Recalling the promise Iruka had made a few weeks earlier about teaching him elemental ninjutsu, Naruto's smile became coy as he looked up at the quietly mumbling chunin.

"So are we going to start jutsu theory today or is there another test I have to pass before I get to that?" Naruto asked sarcastically, inwardly promising if he had to go through another chakra control exercise he would Kage Bunshin his sensei into the next week.

"Yes, I was just thinking of a way to explain jutsu theory to you so that we won't waste any time training to go over complex notions and whatnot," Iruka replied with a casual wave of the hand, not knowing that Naruto had heard him saying something about chakra formula's under his breath.

"Not to worry however I think I've got the simplest explanation in mind," Iruka announced, and truthfully doing nothing to ally the blond's growing fear.

"Basically jutsu theory is like algebra. Each handseal, 'X' in other words, are added together in an equation. Each of the 'Xs' are paired with a specific amount of chakra, your constant in other words, to form your 'Y', or your jutsu. This is why chakra control is so important in jutsu theory, because faulty control can utterly destroy a jutsu, and in higher level jutsu utterly change the desired effects. However the margin of error is fairly wide in the few jutsu you are about to learn, so there isn't much to worry about now seeing as your coils are still localizing themselves. Though if you want to go on to higher levels of jutsu theory, or even create your own jutsu, your chakra control is only going to have to get better for you to achieve those goals," Iruka worded, careful not to make Naruto's head spin with just the introduction. Unfortunately, even with his expanded intelligence, what he just heard came out to be nothing more than a mumble of words and confusing phrases.

"Okay one more time, only this time with the 'Xs', 'Ys', and equations part," Naruto requested, to a disheartened Iruka. The academy hoped, a little naively perhaps, that Naruto would show an innate knack for this sort of thing. However after recalling his sensei's words, Iruka supposed that not everyone could be like him and the Third. Natural abilities aside however, Iruka knew he'd have to teach Naruto one way another, it just seemed that now Naruto was going to have to go about this in a different method than he originally intended.

"Not to worry Naruto, I have a back up explanation," and with that Iruka performed a single seal, before being flanked by a quartet of regular bunshin.

"These here are examples of spatial reconstruction; you remember that from your reading?"

Iruka's question was met with a nod, lifting the man's spirits a little. At least Naruto had done the reading like he asked, thus making his job a little easier.

"Good because in essence that is half of jutsu theory; which is 'A', using chakra to create effects in regards to just space, or 'B'," and with a snap, Iruka's forefinger was lit with a small blaze.

"Use chakra to create effects in regards to the elements. The key divider in these two aspects are handseals; which, like I said before, are like math," Iruka continued on, seeing a frown make its way onto Naruto's face.

"Which is the one part I don't understand," the boy interjected bitterly, because to him the only thing in his way of the complete awesome-ness of ninjutsu were a bunch of abstract numbers, which in reality, didn't amount to anything.

"Not many people do at first, but give it time. Trust me, I've seen the way you go through seals, and compared to that this stuff is elementary," Iruka said, complimenting Naruto on his fairly unusual grasp on fuinjutsu. It was possibly his genes, but understanding seals came naturally to him like breathing water did to a fish. Seals were like a game to him really. All you had to do was put the rules, i.e. the ink work, down on paper and then watch everything else play out to your liking. It was in that line of thinking that made seals such a breeze for Naruto, but at the same time it made jutsu theory more like homework than anything.

"That's because seals are fun, but I guess if you say it'll get easier…," Naruto rattled off to his instructor, becoming more determined to success in this particular area.

"Good because for your first jutsu…," Iruka left before snapping again, this time all his fingers were ablaze.

"You're going to be learning this," and with that Naruto's drive only got hotter.

--

"This is rather unsettling," one Sarutobi Hiruzen muttered as he set down his pipe. The first rule of effective leadership was never mixing business with pleasure; and anything could possibly involve Danzo meant 'all business' for the Sagely Monkey Lord.

"I understand the attack on my persons, and I'd foreseen something of this nature happening had my true identity been discovered however this Danzo's interest in Naruto is what bothers me," Kyuubi added, through convinced that this Danzo character was up to no good. Her survival of the incident, which was a one time fluke at best, was caused by her having split her youki at the last moments of her clone's 'life' thus successfully creating another Kage Bunshin. In all reality it shouldn't have happened given the sheer power differences between youki and chakra, but wasn't in the realm of impossibility mainly due to the fact that technique relied little on any sort of control and more one raw power. Kyuubi also realized how truly fortunate that fluke occurring was. For her to get the name of a higher up in a village conspiracy was often knowledge that was hard fought for.

"Danzo has always been as devoted as a zealot when it comes to the 'Will of Fire' and it's supposed ideal Konoha," Hiruzen said. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth, for Danzo's ideals for a perfect Konoha were far different than what the founders of the village wanted.

"And that is?" Kyuubi questioned, somehow getting the feeling she already knew the answer.

"A Konoha that has conquered every surrounding country, and has tapped into every available resource for making a more effective war engine. The man simply eats, sleeps, and dreams of conquest; so much in fact that I am surprised I was named Hokage, given that we were in the biggest war ever during that time," the Hokage shared, confirming Kyuubi's suspicion.

Power, it was the one true corrupt of all beings, and that was something she could attest to. However in her short time with Naruto she'd come to realize there are those, who stand far above herself and this Danzo in moral fiber, that could resist the ultimate temptation of power. For they were the people who did not desire power for what it could bring them, but the sought power merely to protect and secure that in which what was precious. Finding the one selfless act within a selfish path, that was what truly described Naruto's goal.

"So it all boils to greed yet again. I'd advise handling this problem quickly Hokage-san, otherwise the consequences may be dire for us all," Kyuubi warned, her allusion her own fall not missed by the equal troubled 'Professor'.

"Yes, but when dealing with Danzo, it is never that simple. His intentions for Naruto may merely be to further any plot he has brewing for further down the road, so actively engaging him now may prove futile as there would be no grounds to charge him on," Hiruzen voiced irately. Seeing as Root didn't truly exist, well at least not to the General Council and Fire Lord's knowledge, Danzo was nothing more than a retired shinobi. This made him untouchable to Sarutobi who, as head of a military organization, had no jurisdiction over normal citizens.

'_There is the route where I reveal all this to the council, but that would mean exposing to the civilian representatives all the secrets the ninja delegates have buried throughout the village. Not to mention there would be the impending talk with the Fire Lord himself, and the ever so interesting conversation on why information was being withheld from him,' _the Hokage mused sarcastically, realizing that once again Danzo had covered his tracks too well. It was to be expected however, for when you had been in the game as long as Danzo had, learning all the rules and loopholes was only a matter time.

"Be that as it may, I have a request," Kyuubi asked, drawing the Hokage out of his musings. Danzo may be a nuisance and general thorn in everyone's side, but to be asked a favor of a nearly ageless demoness was something that'd demand the attention of anybody, even if they were feared as the 'God of Shinobi'.

"What might that be Kasumi-san?" the Hokage stated, mirroring Kyuubi earlier gesture of using proper titles.

"I need a way to reinforce this body, enough for actually combat usage. I thought a youki coating may be enough, but as that Anbu proved today, one particularly skilled skill can spell the end," Kyuubi recalled, still a bit peeved at being 'killed'. She was the strongest of the Biju for Kami's sake! Her death should, and would, effect all the planes of existence; not occur in the confines of a secluded forest where not even the lowliest of insects were disturbed.

"I may have a few seals that could do the trick, but to be safe have Naruto and Anko go over them as well. Another two sets of eyes couldn't hurt, and I from what I've heard Naruto has turned himself into quite the seal student," the Hokage suggested as he offered Kyuubi a scroll. Her study in seals had been secretive, even to the Hokage, for if word got out that the demon fox herself was studying sealing…

'_The masses would rise up in a fury unseen by this world to date,'_ Kyuubi jested humorlessly, knowing what would truly happen to her and her warder.

"Also as for your attack… I will look into the Root Anbu files may agents have managed to glean from Danzo's offices. From your description of his abilities, I'd say he was a veteran, for mastering the Anbu's style of close quarters combat would take years in the least," the Hokage stated, recalling his studies the said art of 'to capture or to kill'.

Konoha Anbu taijutsu was a blend of Namikaze kenjutsu and Senju taijutsu. It was another 'gift' that the two clans had left the village to ensure its safety, and it was by far one of the most effective. The taijutsu was developed so that the user could subdue an enemy without much difficult. Thus the style resembled jujitsu in the fact that the user could defeat an enemy whether were armed or unarmed. However given the second half of the art, the 'to kill' part, kenjutsu was brought into play. The swordsmanship behind the style was simply to become one with the sword. No special techniques, no hidden finishers, all those things would come when the person integrated their soul with the sword. That was the true power of Anbu, really Namikaze, kenjutsu; for the users could fight as if their weapon was a mere extension of themselves, and subsequently their will to kill.

"Agreed his technique was too mature for someone so young to completely master, however in my last moments I recognized a chakra burst similar to the explanation of the Hyuuga clan's Jyuken… As for that means I cannot tell you, because it is possible that someone within the Hokage works for the Root Anbu squad, or that someone is trying to drive a wedge between Naruto and the Hyuuga," Kyuubi reasoned, recalling Hiashi's firm stance backing Naruto after that one faithful night regarding his eldest daughter.

This gave the Hokage much to think about. Not only did Root move in the open, but did so by fully undermining his authority. This type of renegade activism is what started civil wars, a reality the Mist could attest to, however given the circumstances the culprit behind the attacks was untouchable. He would need to be on-guard, now so more than ever, as there was a new power in the making. One that both he and Danzo were currently vying for…

--

"This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed with an audible snap, as his fingers flicked apart leaving a single flame floating above his ring finger. Katon: Tenka (Fire Release: Ignition), was the first of many fire jutsu within the ancient walls of the Leaf village. However the allure of burning down whole villages with a few handseals and an abundance of chakra, something he had in spades, wasn't enough to draw Naruto's attention away from the tiny flame he was currently maintain on the tip of his finger.

It was like when he first saw a ninja in action; nothing could take his eyes away from the blurred forms, and just like then nothing could take his attention away from the flame. For Naruto this was a rare moment of lucidity, because for the first time he actually understood what he was doing when he performed that seemingly random arrangement of handseals. The knowledge was as exhilarating as the bell test just a few minutes ago.

"Yes but it's time to move on. We lost a bit of ground building your chakra back up to par, but it was time well spent because now these shouldn't take you more than a few hours to get down," Iruka said as he tossed three separate scrolls at the blond.

Instinctively Naruto disengaged his chakra feeding the fire before catching the three pieces of parchment with one hand. Noting that all three scrolls were bordered with a distinctive color, Naruto choose the red rimmed scroll over the deep blue and teal ones and to his surprise he found two more fire jutsu. Well one really, seeing as the first one was just Katon: Tenka written out, but another jutsu made his day. After tearing through the explanation, Naruto raised an eyebrow before looking at the other two scrolls before back at his adoptive older brother.

"I'm guess these are all introductory jutsu to my respective elements, correct." The blonde's words came off more as a statement rather than a question, but Iruka nodded nonetheless, affirming the Namikaze Heir's suspicions.

"Like I said before they should be a quick learn, but I'd advice at least reading them along with your clones before you delegate them any more work. Each scroll has a basic explanation of how that respective element is traditionally manipulated by chakra. Understanding that will be paramount when you decide to start making your own jutsu," the chunin advised.

When a mischievous smirk spread across the blond's features, Iruka knew that he'd let loose a monster. One that would make Konoha tremble even more than the mighty Kyuubi, for this monster could tap into her massive reserves and had the creativity to mold it into jutsu in which the world has never seen.

"Well we're here," Iruka announced as he looked up at the Konoha Hospital. He felt bad he realized, for he got Naruto all excited about the thought of making his own jutsu before turning him loose on a place where the sick and wounded were trying to rest.

'_A truly despicable thing,'_ the chunin attested before turning away and whistling a jaunty tune. As far as he was concerned, it wasn't his problem anymore.

--

"Now Naruto I need you to remember we are really doing rounds, so no more practicing jutsu," Kabuto whispered exhaustedly, having dealt with Naruto, plus several clones, trying out all three types of elemental jutsu he'd learned for his scrolls. Retrospectively only the Futon: Boufuu (Wind Release: Gale) and Futon: Uzu (Wind Release: Swirl) caused any problems because of all the paperwork being blown around. Both the Katon: Tenka and Katon: Hokushi (Fire Release: Spitfire) didn't cause too much trouble, as there was always a clone on standby ready to use Suiton: Gyoshu (Water Release: Condensation) and Suiton: Chinko (Water Release: Precipitation) at any sign of a sustained fire.

Naruto just nodded, having read the scrolls and sent clones to continue practicing, he had no qualms with saving jutsu creation for later. Now was time for med-training, and he finally had some semblance of chakra control to make some use of his book knowledge. For the past fourteen some-odd days, Naruto had done nothing but get it clinical knowledge up when it came to medical training. He'd study everything Kabuto asked, as well as read up on a few other books to supplement his understanding. However even with all those book smarts to help him, the mystery of the human body wasn't even close to being unveiled.

'_It's impossible…,'_ he realized, after a few days of study, to fully understand something he'd never once practiced in his life. He had no idea what it felt like to reset a bone back in place, and no matter how much he read about it, nothing other than real physical practice would change that.

So when Kabuto asked him to active his Shinryo no jutsu (Diagnosis Technique), Naruto had to swallow a mouthful of proverbial hesitation before he willed his fingers into the appropriate handseals. The boy felt his chakra pool around his hands as hazy void filled his mind. The jutsu worked by sending images directly to the brain, completely circumventing any usage of optical nerves. Novice users, like Naruto himself, were tempted into closing their eyes in order to focus on the picture they were seeing in their minds. However the practice was looked down upon because most medics would be field medics and any moment of vulnerability could be disastrous in the field.

Baring that in mind Naruto made his way over to resting patient, mind so divided between the overwhelming 'first time' feeling, keeping his eyes open, and observing the flickering images in his head; that he didn't even realize who it was until Kabuto started reading her medical chart.

"Uchiha Akane, age 7. Suffering from mild chakra exhaustion and fatigue, has been order bed rest and observation until further notice," Kabuto listed off, before checking for any other symptoms and allergies he should be aware of.

"Akane-chan?!" Naruto exclaimed, as he looked down at the lightly sleeping girl. His exclamation had been enough to rouse her from her light slumber, and with tiny fist she rubbed the sand out of her eyes. Well at least the one eye that wasn't covered by an eyepatch…

The normally out of place accessory almost looked fitting on the small girl's face, as it balanced her off-to-the-side ponytail well. However seeing the small girl with such a weird face dressing, gave her an eerie air of maturity. One that reminded Naruto of the whole reason she was here…

Uchiha Itachi, the murderer of the whole Uchiha Clan.

For Naruto the whole incident was like a huge dream, one that he didn't want to accept as reality. Itachi was to him, like the Sarutobi was to Konoha. He was the embodiment of all Naruto wanted to be when he became a shinobi. Itachi's reliance on skill rather than bloodlines inspired Naruto to push harder in classes when children of famous clans held an inherent edge over him. And the man's aloof attitude, one in stark contrast to his caste's haughty nature, made Naruto realize that no one human was truly better than another. Sealed demon or not…

So to accept that all he'd seen and admired in Itachi was a lie, fabricated before his, and everyone else's very eyes, was something Naruto wouldn't do.

'_I'll find Itachi, wherever he is, and make him tell me why, even if I have to beat it out of him,'_ Naruto vowed, not truly understanding just how big an undertaking that task would be. However that was a problem for another day as the blond's full attention was on the stirring girl beside him and what he was going to say to her.

"How are you doing Akane-chan?"

"Jubei, call me Jubei," was all the girl said as she looked at the blond with one piercing eye. Naruto mentally flinched at the gaze, realizing just how soulless the little girl's eyes were.

'_Itachi has a lot to answer for…,'_ Naruto added before banishing the thought once again.

"Why Jubei?" Naruto asked, curiosity getting the best of his professionalism. It was such a masculine name, unbefitting the girl's petite and delicate features, however for some reason Naruto could just feel the importance of the name from tone in which is was uttered. There was so much power behind the name, so much emotion, that Naruto couldn't just ignore the girl's request but couldn't let his curiosity go.

"It says here that her older brother's name was Jubei. He was one of the few active Uchiha without a Sharingan, but made up for it with his impressive kenjutsu. Interesting do you think that tanto over there could have been his?" Kabuto interjected, drawing both Naruto's curious gaze and Akane's serious eyes upon him. The silver haired genin actually let out a visible shutter when he met the little girl's gaze, her eyes were far too jaded to be that of a seven year old's.

"So you want be called Jubei so that you can remember your brother?" Naruto asked, trying to draw the girl into some sort of interaction, in hopes that it would somehow snap her out of this 'funk'.

"No, Aniki said that if he ever went missing it was up to me to make sure that his name became famous around the world. I'm just keeping my promise," the young child retold, a sliver of emotion trickling its way into her voice as she spoke, thus rendering her a little more childlike in the two genins' eyes.

"Okay than Jubei-chan, I'll make sure that you can fulfill that promise, but you'll have to help me by getting a lot of rest," Naruto coaxed, as the girl simply gave him an empty nod. Naruto was expecting a battle seeing she just woke up, but the girl's unhesitant compliance just showed more of her unnatural 'maturity' and the scars Itachi had inflicted upon her.

Performing one last scan on the girl's system, Naruto saw that she was steadily getting better and it wouldn't be long before she was back on her feet.

'_But to where…,'_ Naruto morbidly thought, before he realized the girl had no home. Luckily however she wouldn't end up in an orphanage like he had, but instead would be staying with some caring family. At that a tinge of relief wormed its way into Naruto's mind.

'_That's what she needs a couple of loving parents and possibly some children her age to help her cope with her loss,'_ Naruto thought before making his way out of the sleeping child's room.

Once outside both genin shared a look that revealed they both were thinking the same thing, whatever happened to that girl had left her far from normal.

--

"Oi Naruto we gonna spar again today?" an overly excited Inuzuka Kiba hollered over to the blond as he made his way towards Team Eight. Unlike his own Squad, which technically hadn't been assembled yet, Team Eight had been functioning for two weeks now. In those two weeks the team had completed over a dozen demeaning D-class missions, and by the looks of it that wasn't going to be changing any time soon. So in knowing that Naruto, understood why Kiba was always so eager to spar with him every time he went for his genjutsu training.

'_Not that I mind. Slapping Kiba around was almost therapeutic when I was having trouble with my genjutsu because of my chakra control,'_ Naruto recounted as he weighed the boy's offer. He'd proven earlier that his chakra control was good enough to start jutsu theory and the bare fundamentals of medical training, so genjutsu should be within the range of plausibility. However Naruto was never one to turn down a fight…

"Sure why not, but give me a second," the blond relented before making a dozen clones, thus disappearing in a cloud of smoke for a moment, before his doppelgangers all went spiriting off towards Kurenai to commence in their training. Kiba just grumbled about how unfair that technique truly was before taking a fighting stance. At least he got what he wanted he figured before beginning to slowly circle around Naruto, like a wolf eying its prey.

"You ready for this Uzumaki?" Kiba taunted, not knowing of Naruto's change in status. Although it did puzzle how the dead last of the academy, suddenly became such a promising shinobi. Not that he was jealous or anything, the blond still had a long way to go before he was even a threat to someone of his skill, but to see Naruto change before his very eyes was at least a bit surprising.

'_I'd bet there's one other person here that'd agree with me there,'_ Kiba added with a feral smirk before tossing a glance to his blushing teammate on the sidelines.

Ducking away from Kiba's glance, Hinata blushed even more when she realized Naruto had followed the dog boy's gaze towards her before flashing her a dazzling smile. What she'd give to see that smile everyday! But alas she hadn't even pluck up the courage to start a conversation with him, much less tell him how he made her feel. That inner conflict, which had reached a fever pitch during the past week when her team started meeting during Naruto's genjutsu training, was completely lost on the said blond. That fact alone was daunting considering all the snide remarks Kiba made when the two were even remotely close to one another. However for the shy Hyuuga doormat, Kiba's comments were just too embarrassing while Naruto's steadfast focus on his studies prevented him from looking too deeply into what Kiba was saying.

"Oi Hinata, you wanna spar with Naruto-kun too? His taijutsu really sucks, and I'd bet the Hyuuga Heiress herself could least show a talentless schmuck like him a thing or two," Kiba taunted causing the blush on Hinata's face to reach critical levels, while pissing the taijutsu deficient blond off as well.

"I doubt Hinata-chan would even want to waste her time teaching me something I won't even need to kick your ass," Naruto fired back, completely ignoring Kiba sputtering comeback as he gave a knowing look to Hinata causing the girl to fall back, dead to the world for the time being.

At this Shino sighed, his first visible response to Naruto's presence, knowing it'd be up to him to revive the fallen Heiress. Even for the Zen-like nature of the young Aburame, continually taking care of the messes Kiba and Naruto's attics was somewhat vexing. Enough that Shino wanted to show Naruto how truly irksome his ignorance was.

"… Uzumaki-san when you're done with Kiba I'd like to fight you as well," Shino stated after a moment, his voice completely foreign even to his teammate. Both circling contenders looked up at Shino in shock, one because it was the first time he'd ever heard the boy talk, and the other, because in the whole two weeks he'd been teamed up with the guy he'd never asked him to spar.

"Sure, I'll even make this quick so that you don't have to wait too long," Naruto replied, only adding to Kiba's irritation.

"So what am I, cat litter!? I'll mop the floor with you Uzumaki before moving on to bug boy over there?" Kiba said before jabbing his thumb in the direction Shino was sitting. A barely audible buzz could be faintly heard by boys' superior hearing.

"Oh yeah well dodge this! Katon: Hokushi!" Naruto roared as be blew a tight stream of fire towards the flat-footed Inuzuka. Fortunately for the feral preteen his instincts were as honed as any of the Inuzuka pack animals, so with a subconscious flaring of his ankle, Kiba managed to stumble away from harm.

However his clumsy dodge wasn't fast enough to get him away from Naruto's newfound speed. So as the line of fire sailed over his shoulder, singeing the fur lining his hood, Kiba could watch as Naruto closed the distance between them all the while his foot in mid swing for a low roundhouse to the head. Fortunately for Kiba however his taunts weren't just all talk, and Naruto did truly suck at taijutsu; so with one hand Kiba stopped Naruto's kick, before sending a cocky smirk up to the blond as he overpowered him with just one arm!

"I told you, that's not enough!" Kiba roared as his hands flew through a few familiar seals. Crouching down on all fours, Kiba felt his chakra surge within him before coiling around his arms and legs fortifying them greatly. Now with speeds faster than the blond Kiba charged forward shoulder first into the hobbling Uzumaki's chest. The blow scored a deep hit and sent the container flying across the field.

Each one of Naruto's skips across the ground were punctuated with a wince from the on looking Hyuuga Heiress, ending when the painful crash against a tree invoking a gasp from the pale spectator. Hinata had to physically restrain herself from running to the boy's side when he didn't hop to his feet like he normally did, but instead laid still as Kiba taunted him.

"What a wuss! Come on now I only hit you once! What about kicking my ass?"

"I plan to Kiba," Naruto cried as his fist collided with the dog boy's fast sending him careening across the field much like he'd done before. Once again acting on instinct Kiba managed to flip onto his feet during mid skip before digging his heels into the dirt to slow to a stop. Absently realizing that Naruto packed some chakra into that last punch, Kiba looked over his shoulder just in time to see the prone Naruto lying against the tree disappear in a telltale poof of smoke.

"When did you…?"

"When I first sent that batch of clones to Kurenai-sensei," Naruto cut in with a smirk before falling into a taijutsu stance. Compared to Kiba's Inuzuka fighting style Naruto's academy based taijutsu just wouldn't cut it, even the few tricks he'd picked up from the medic books would be so much help seeing as he and Kabuto hadn't gotten to the combat situation material yet. This left him horribly outmatched against a faster and better trained opponent. Subterfuge would be necessary…

"Lucky shot, but it won't happen again," Kiba vowed, not shaken in the slightest that Naruto's clone had managed to nose as well. The boy was getting good, almost good enough to be called a rival, and the mere thought of a worthwhile fight made Kiba's instincts howl with excitement.

Saying nothing to Kiba's promise, Naruto merely made a handseal before a dozen clones erupted from a cloud of smoke flanking equally on the left and right. At once the baker's dozen of blond containers drew a kunai, Tenchi's finest, before hurling them at the grinning Kiba, who dodge with the utmost ease. Realizing Naruto's tactic Kiba immediately moved to close the distance once again, this time keeping track of all the clones' location through smell alone.

Scattering the clones with his charge, Kiba made quick work of three of the blond's copies with just one swipe of his claws. Ducking to the side, the boy dodged one blond's attempt to sneak attack him before destroying him as well, this time with strong punch to the back of the head.

Realizing that he was losing numbers rapidly, Naruto started devising another way to engage Kiba. Taijutsu was out of the question for obvious reasons, and Naruto doubted he could use his kenjutsu effectively against a target so fast. That left ninjutsu, which seemed to be not working as well, and genjutsu. It was a long shot, especially since Kiba's sensei was Konoha's 'Genjutsu Mistress', however Kiba was never one to notice things, the clone trick in the beginning of the fight proved it.

'_I need to time this right,'_ Naruto warned as another clone dispersed back into smoke. Kiba was having a field day knocking his copies around, and if he didn't do anything fast Kiba would be knocking him around soon enough.

"Naruto watch this, I just managed to get it down yesterday so I may not be able to control it too well," Kiba exclaimed as he released the molding on his Shikyaku no jutsu (Four Legs Technique). Raising an eyebrow, Naruto dropped into a deep guard stance when Kiba started flitting through another set of handseals, these ones slightly longer than the last.

"Here it comes, Tsuga!" Kiba cried before he leapt into the air, body twisting into a man sized tornado. In his shock, neither Naruto nor his clones moved until the whirlwind of chakra was upon them, tearing into three more clones before Kiba came screeching to a stop.

"Yahoo, I scored big on that one! Now let's see if you can dodge it again?" Kiba jabbed before entering into another whirlwind of chakra. This time Naruto was more prepared for the assault, and by using a few clones to slow Kiba down, he was able to complete his Futon: Boufuu just in time to meet Kiba's flying fang. The two chakras collide in a loud display, Kiba's fang scraping hard against Naruto's chakra filled winds. Seeing the stalemate Naruto forced more chakra to his hands, thus strengthening the jutsu, just enough so that Kiba's went flying into a nearby tree.

'_Here's my chance!'_ Naruto realized, and with practiced precise he flew through the handseals to the Nensogo no jutsu (Sense Discord Technique, otherwise known as the 'Fundamental Five' genjutsu. Focusing the mind altering energies on Kiba's dazed form, Naruto used his chakra to deceive Kiba's optical nerves into think he'd disappeared. The dog boy seemed startled when he turned around, looking frantically for the blond, not once suspecting there was a genjutsu at work.

Creeping closer with awe worthy stealth, it was made apparent that Naruto infiltration of the Uchiha's a few years back wasn't a fluke but just a testament to his skill. A skill in which got him a foot from behind an Inuzuka without even being noticed, or so he thought.

"Do you take me for a fool, I could smell your ramen covered scent from a mile away," Kiba exclaimed before he punched at thin air, knocking Naruto clean off his feet. However Kiba's victory was short lived as a pop and smoke followed right after the decisive blow, leaving Kiba to wonder, _'Had I missed a clone?'_

His answer came in the form of a flaming fist to the head. The blow drove his face into the ground, knocking him senseless just long enough for Naruto to lower a flaming kunai down to his neck.

"Do you submit," Naruto asked seriously, keeping an eye out for any kawarimi and jutsu of that nature.

"… I,"

"Do you submit!" Naruto stated again, this time pressing down a bit with his kunai.

"Fine, I submit! Happy, you frickin' won again," Kiba cried childish, mad that he ended up defeated, again!

"It's not fair, I even used my best jutsu against you, and you still win!" Kiba griped angrily, storming off when he heard Hinata's giggles. Casting a betrayed look to the pale Hyuuga, Kiba just stamped off in the direction of Kurenai's genjutsu lesson.

"K-Kiba-kun, I didn't mean it," the girl called after him, but to no avail. The dog boy was already too far gone to hear her meek voice.

"Let him go Hinata, he needs to learn to keep his emotions in check," Shino surmised, hand clasped gently on the girl's shoulder. The bug boy knew Hinata had meant not ill will from her laughter, and to him it served Kiba right for always taunting the girl about her 'situation' regarding Uzumaki-san. However Kiba, like many Inuzuka, was very prideful and having gotten his pride stomped all over yet again, in the presence of the girl he liked nonetheless. In some ways Hinata was just as oblivious as Naruto; for Kiba was always pining after her, trying to win her over with his tests of strength, but the girl had eyes only for the blond. This drove Kiba up the wall and back, so much to the point where he'd challenge Naruto to spar just to have Hinata look his way. Truly the situation was irksome to bear with, but as their teammate Shino was obligated to be the voice of reason between the three.

'_Now only if Kiba were more like his sister… This problem wouldn't even exist then,'_ Shino concluded as his thoughts rested on lone 'normal' Inuzuka. Like him, she was the voice of reason amongst a group of overly emotion, in her case passionate, people. This made her quite the choice for an intelligent conversation whenever the Team met up at the Inuzuka residence for 'team building' exercises.

'_At least Hana-san doesn't make us clean the kennels,'_ Shino added, recalling the numerous D-rank missions the Inuzuka's had rented them out for. Banishing the thoughts of dog droppings from his mind, Shino focused back on the scene in front of him, more so the new arrival at there little meeting.

Uzumaki Kasumi, one could say she was epitome of a young woman. Long hair, killer curves, and a dangerous smile that drove even an Aburame wild; she was all a man could ask for. And the absolute worse thing that happened to Hinata, short of being abducted at the tender age of five. It didn't matter to the girl that they were related, for inter-clan marriages happened all the time in her family, and it didn't matter that they were only friends. Hinata could see that Kasumi saw what she saw in Naruto, someone worth admiring possibly someone worth loving…

Meeting the red-headed glance for a moment, Hinata could feel her jealousy boiling up within her before dropping her gaze away from the taller girl's eyes. She felt pathetic, not even confident enough to meet her rival's gaze head on, it was a wonder Naruto didn't just ask Kasumi out now.

"Naruto you go head and spar with Shino, and while you do that I think I'll test myself against Hinata-chan over there," Kyuubi said with a slight smirk, cutting right past all of Hinata's self-despising thoughts. The said girl immediately became a nervous wreck on the inside, terrified to death of losing in front of her crush. That feeling was only amplified when Naruto sent the red-head an incredulous look, as if openly mocking her ability as well. Little did Hinata know that his shock wasn't in regards to her skill but that of Kasumi's current 'fragility'.

"The Hokage cleared me this morning. He said take it easy and test myself, so that's what I plan to do. And seeing since Kiba decided to storm off and you and Shino are about to duke it out, I figure Hinata would be the best choice," Kyuubi said aloud for Team Eight to hear, unknowingly cutting Hinata down by making her 'last pick'. However what Hinata didn't see of Kasumi's conversation with Naruto, was the look that clearly said 'I'll explain later, just trust me for now'. So the blond did and with that Kyuubi led Hinata away from the clear, much to the silent relief of the nerve wrecked Hyuuga Heiress.

--

"So how do want to go about this? All out taijutsu or do you simply want to help me get back into form?" Kyuubi asked coyly as Hinata continued to fidget under her gaze. It was adorable, in a pitiful sort of way, but the girl's confidence would be a serious problem should the need arise for her to act without hesitation. Really Kyuubi saw it as she was not only doing Naruto a favor but the whole village in general, as another able soldier could only help in the future.

"W-What e-ever y-y-y-you w-w-want U-Uzumaki-s-san," Hinata manage to sputter out after a moment. She could feel her resolve crumbling, but she wouldn't give in! She would not make herself look any worse than she already did in the face of her opposition. She would be strong, she would be confident, she would be a Hyu...

"Kasumi, no san, no Uzumaki, just Kasumi; and yeah, I think we should have a full spar, I am way too rusty for going over the forms to help me,"

-ga…

"I-If y-y-you in-insist," Hinata stuttered on, before falling into a cat stance. Kyuubi merely raised an eyebrow at Hinata's form, curious to why she decided against using Hakke from the get go.

'_**Maybe she's just being nice,'**_ Kyuubi humored, before falling into a stance herself. Unlike Hinata, who was standing straight up with both arms out in front and one leg slightly bent, Kyuubi had taken a deep stance almost mimicking that of the legendary Hakke the Hyuuga use.

'_Is-is she mocking me?!'_ Hinata said, stuttering in her own mind. However her speak impairment was not because of a lack of confidence, but because she was shocked at the gall of the woman in front of her. Hinata knew she wasn't the best Hyuuga fighter, she knew her little sister was more proficient in both Jyuken and the Byakugan, but if there was one thing Hinata did know, it was she would not be trampled on by her competition. She admired Naruto too much, to give him up without a fight.

And without another word the two clashed. True to her word Kyuubi rusty, but for good reason it'd been over a millennia since she last fought in her human form, the final time being that faithful night she learned of the Tengu King's true plot. Pushing the surfacing bundle of emotions back down into their place, Kyuubi focused on the task at hand. If she was going to fix Hinata, she was first going to have to break her; and for a near ageless fox demon, that was something they did well.

Analyzing the girl's Jyuken, Kyuubi could see the resemblance it had to that ancient fighting style the last of Tenkai's avatars' style, however so say Hinata was as good as the ancient warrior monk would be like saying a house cat was as ferocious as a wild Konohian tiger.

So with utmost ease weaved through the girl's palm strikes, paying no held to them as they lack to the killing intent to do any real damage before landing her first strike. A painful crack resounded as Hinata's head snapped back when the heel of Kyuubi's palm collided with her chin. Followed quickly by a low sweep, Hinata found her self awkwardly airborne before Kyuubi's elbow crash into her sternum knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her tumbling to the ground.

Willing her body to move Hinata realized belatedly that both Kyuubi's palm strike and elbow smash hit two distinct pressure points. That was the strength of Kyuubi's style, she used highly accurate nerves strikes by flowing the energy of her blows throughout her opponent's body and into ultra sensitive areas. The realization made Hinata want to whimper in agony, however not from the pain of the blows, but from the paining in knowing that at her current level she couldn't compete.

"Kami I'm rusty, those two strikes shouldn't hurt me like this," Kyuubi announced aloud, slightly impressed that Hinata was able to shift her body instinctively so that she could reduced the damage she took from the blows. That wasn't something that's premeditated, but is something borne from constant practice. Smirking internally Kyuubi realized if that if Hinata was that good even when she had no confidence in herself, she'd be amazing once learned to love herself. However before they got there, they would have to go through this…

"Come on now, we aren't finished yet," Kyuubi spat pompously, aiming to invoke the petite Hyuuga's anger if anything. And as if beckoned Hinata rose to her feet, and with wobbling legs went back into her cat stance.

"Pathetic, you can't even use the true Hakke," Kyuubi continued to attack, before charging again. Her blows came with no mercy, and she relentless pounded at Hinata's defenses, tearing them down slowly but surely as she disabled the girl's nerves one by one.

Sinking to her knees, Hinata felt tiny in the face of an opponent who defeated and demeaned her in such a way. It wasn't fair! She tried and tried to learn Hakke, even to the point where her hands bled from exertion, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't gifted like Neji, or as talented as her younger sister. She was little Hinata who like to press flowers and read about medicine, the girl who like to watch her crush from afar and give him gifts when she thought no one was watching. She was the Hyuuga who wanted to be a medic like Lady Tsunade-sama, and she was the one who wanted to be called the Hokage's wife one day! However now that was all gone, as this girl would probably do all that and more leaving her with nothing…

"So that's it. That's the depth of your dedication; your dedication to your family's taijutsu, your admiration for Naruto, your pride as a person!" Kyuubi taunted once again trying to get something, anything, from the girl.

"Why should you care," Hinata whispered lowly, for the first time not stuttering when she spoke. She was far too long for that, battle with her words was something for Hinata who wanted something in life, now she just wanted it to end.

"Because you aren't a person to quit so easily, taking those nerve strikes proved that," Kyuubi jibed getting a puzzled look from the slumped Hinata. This wasn't what the pale girl was expecting. She figured Kasumi would give her a cold dismissal before claiming Naruto as her own, and proverbial driving the last nail in the coffin.

"B-but b-but…,"

"No buts! You are a Hyuuga you should have pride enough to take a compliment when it is given," Kyuubi jokingly ordered, her tone resembling that of one of the Hyuuga Elders. The joke wasn't lost on Hinata, but it did cause the Heiress to wonder how Kyuubi would know that?

"My father doesn't seem to think so," Hinata added on with a mumble, falling back into self-despair. Truthfully Kyuubi was getting fed up trying to spoon feed the girl confidence, so she decided to take another approach. A direct approach…

"So what, why should you care what he thinks!? He is not lord of your body; he cannot force you to feel! He is not your lord of your mind; he cannot force you to listen! And he is _not_ lord of your spirit; so he can _never_ force you to give in!" Kyuubi roared, shocking the pale girl so much she looked at the red-headed kunoichi in awe. Thus words, those exact words, were the same words her mother uttered to her whenever the Elders told her she was too kind or too soft. Again the suspicion of how Kyuubi knew this lurked into her mind…

"Hinata, do you know what lions do to there cubs in the wild?" Kyuubi asked suddenly, jarring the girl out of her private reverie.

"N-n-no…," Hinata managed to get out, not liking where the conversation was headed.

"They throw there beloved children off the side of a cliff, knowing that in the world we live in it would be better for them to be dead rather than strong. Now I can't speak for your father directly, but it sounds like he is applying this theory to you. He needs you to be strong; not for him, not for the clan, but for yourself. So it is up to you to find a way to climb up that cliff, and believe me when I say this, we aren't in the wild, he'll help you if you come and ask him," Kyuubi spoke, having kneeled down to Hinata's level during her speak. Pale eyes met red as the two females, searched one another's souls. Hinata found no deception in Kasumi's words, and Kyuubi found resolve in the normally downtrodden girl's eyes.

It was then that they both smiled…

"Let me help you up," Kyuubi exclaimed before tapping a few release points, loosing the Heiress' spasming before helping her up to her feet.

"So now that we've seen eye to eye is there anything you want to tell me, anything pertaining to my blond cousin in particular?" Kyuubi coaxed, eagerly wanting to play matchmaker despite the sinking feeling within her chest.

"What, you know a-about me and Naruto-kun!?" Hinata exclaimed, taken aback when Kyuubi just gave her a toothy grin.

"Hina-chan I doubt that there isn't a soul in the village that doesn't know, well possibly Naruto himself but he can be an idiot sometimes. Count Kiba in there as well, seeing as he's in denial about the whole thing," Kyuubi mumbled aloud, voicing her thoughts as they came. Hinata was once again reduced to a stuttering mess at the revelation, and despite the evidence of Kiba's plight Hinata still remained ignorant of his affections.

'_**Typical, the one chick that falls head over heels for him has someone pining after her as well. And guess what, they are exactly the same when it comes to someone liking them!'**_ Kyuubi joked sarcastically.

"It's not like it matters, I-I'll never be able to get his attention," Hinata muttered dejectedly, revealing her self-consciousness yet again.

"Hina-chan believe when I say this, Naruto may be a rock when it comes to emotions but even he has its limits. You just have to know how to find them…," Kyuubi said baiting the hook. And as if beckoned Hinata's head snapped in her direction.

Hook, line, and sinker…

"Hina-chan meet Icha Icha, Icha Icha meet Hinata," and so the corruption of the Hyuuga Heiress began…

--

"Wow Shino I didn't know you had different breeds of Kikai Insects, let alone how many things those guys can do!" Naruto shouted happily. Even though he lost, he found that fighting Shino was in fact one of the most fun experience he'd ever had. Not to say Kiba was a slouch, but Shino was leagues ahead of his hot headed companion when in came to strategy and using its to manipulate your opponent. Plus have silk spinning insects that could make chakra imbued silk as strong and flexible as ninja wiring, helped a lot.

'_Seriously I doubt there is no end to what Shino can do with those guys!'_ Naruto proclaimed mentally, checking Shino off as one of the many people he'd love to fight again.

"Yes the Kikai have been bred by my family for generations. I'll be sure to look you up when I've acquired a new breed Uzumaki-san," Shino uttered quietly as he pushed up his glasses. Naruto cracked his notorious smile; it seemed Shino was just as eager to have a rematch with him as well. Just in his own secluded, Aburame way.

The unusual bond between the loud mouth and the recluse was cut short as they arrived at there destination only to be greeted by a handful of glares. Kiba's they understood, for their fight took far longer than his, but Kurenai's was a bit daunting giving her red eyes and genjutsu capabilities.

"Come on now Kurenai cut them some slack, they just got back from a spar. Plus didn't the blond leave some clones to listen to your lecture?" a gruff voice cut in, saving the boys from being strung up by their toes in an all too real genjutsu. Tossing a glance up to the chain smoking Sarutobi Asuma, Naruto thanked Kami that this guy could actually persuade Kurenai out of doing something he would regret.

"Sure, but if he doesn't get the fundamental theorem of genjutsu because he was off _fighting_, I won't have an pity for him," Kurenai stated, knowing full and well Naruto's clones took incredible notes.

"Sure, sure but I'm positive it won't come to that. You were there, you saw the kids face, well his clones' faces, when you introduced them to the Suimeisai no jutsu (Water Camouflage Technique)? Believe me that's a demonstration they, and he, won't soon forget," Asuma assured the red-eyed woman, thankfully calming her down.

"So where's Hinata?" Kurenai asked, once again playing mother hen to her smallest of genin chicks.

"Oh she's sparring with Kasumi-chan! I a bit worried though, Hinata's a Hyuuga and is probably a lot stronger than she let's on. I hope Kasumi-chan doesn't get hurt. Then again Kasumi did say the Hokage cleared her for training, whatever that may mean, and Hinata looks like the type to go easy on someone," Naruto rattled off, getting a dumbstruck look from everyone around him. This was the guy that the said Hyuuga had a painfully obvious crush on, and here he was speaking only good things about her. And yet an still he did not realize how much she liked him. Irony was like karma, they were both bitches…

"Hinata-chan here when easy on me, and as a result I got a few hits in," Kyuubi cut in as she made her way to the little group, noting Team Ten's presence as well. Her explanation prepared everyone for the nasty bruise forming on the tip of her chin. After the first blow Kyuubi made sure to stay away from the face, so that not to draw too much suspicion to herself and just out of respect for Hinata. Thankfully the girl wore a heavy jacket so none of her other blows she be as bad.

"Hinata-chan are you alright," Naruto exclaimed before he went to examine the bruise, healing chakra are primed to be used. Letting his green glowing hands cup the blushing girl's face, Naruto paid no heed to the girl's embarrassment, but instead paid close attention to disappearing blemish. This again drew dumbstruck eyes, because lo and behold the proof was quite literally right below his nose, but Naruto still couldn't see it.

"Th-thank you Nar-Naruto-kun, could you perhaps t-teach me to do that?" Hinata asked with barely a stutter. After her chat with Kyuubi she realized there are a lot more embarrassing thing in this world than talking to the boy you like. And on that line of thought Hinata's face went a deeper shape of red.

"S-sure!?" Naruto stuttered too, caught off guard by the request. He couldn't help but smile, Hinata had shown him he was wanted, hell she'd shown him he was needed. However there was still the problem of getting permission from Hinata's sensei, but by the looks of it Asuma had that covered.

"See and you thought that was a waste of time," Asuma whispered into the pretty jonin's ear, rewarded with a slight shiver from the girl. He was getting to her, he knew it, and it was only a matter of time before she would be his…

'_Damn that Sarutobi, always fogging up my brain… Now where was I? Ah yes, letting Naruto teach Hinata maybe a good idea. The girl's always been too timid to be a true front-line attack, and although she's shown aptitude in genjutsu her heart has always been in healing… Yes this may even just be a great idea; Hinata will get to spent meaningful time with her crush, and I'll get a med nin in the process,'_ Kurenai deliberated, as the two looked up at her.

"I don't see a problem with that… _and she already has half the cup size,'_ Kurenai said blandly, musing enviously to herself about her student's 'generous' bust. It wasn't that she was really jealousy of her student, for she was no flat-chested girl herself, but it was an ongoing rumor that girl's with big chests ended up med-nins. And for the looks of it, Hinata would be one more number in that statistic…

"Cool thanks Kurenai-sensei! Now I finally have a partner for those joint practice exercises," Naruto cheered aloud.

"Couldn't you just have asked me or made a shadow clone for that?" Kyuubi asked, a bit vexed that she was being completely disregarded.

"We both know you don't like healing, and the fact is right now you completely suck at it," Naruto fired back hotly, referring to the time Kyuubi tried to heal him via youki. That, and a kick to the crotch, had to be the single most painful thing he'd ever experienced.

As usual an argument ensued, and Kyuubi managed to embarrassment in public causing Naruto to go grumbling off in a Kiba-like manner. He tantrum landed him right next to an amused Asuma who was climbing back to his feet.

"You owe me kid one, cause Kurenai usually doesn't like replanning anything," Asuma whispered as he walked past, on his way over to his team.

'_He just stopped me from calling him Kuma-chan in front of his students,'_ Naruto equated mentally, before scanning his eyes over Team Ten.

The InoChoShika trio were always good people in his book, at least Chouji and Shikamaru were, Ino Naruto just tolerated. The blond had nothing against the girl, especially since they shared so many character traits, but her bossy attitude didn't earn her any points. Nor did her manipulative tendencies, but Naruto figured since they were shinobi that was a good trait to have. Putting his thoughts aside however, Naruto let curiosity take precedence over analysis.

"So what are you three doing here?" Naruto asked the lounging team, realizing that this was probably their attitude regarding everything work related.

"Asuma-sensei dragged us here, even though he said it was our day off," Shikamaru said pointed, while sending his most evil glare to the gruff jonin.

"Hey I said we wouldn't be taking any missions, not completely forgetting about training," Asuma amended, and from the tone in his voice it sounded as if he had gone over that at least a dozen times in just that morning alone.

"While this has been fun, Kurenai-san," Ino said punctuated her statement with a nod to the crimson iris woman.

"I have plans for…," Ino started before her eyes went wide and dilated. Losing completely feeling in her legs, Ino collapsed backward, saved only from a nasty fall by Chouji's surprisingly quick actions. However, his uncharacteristic motivation was not cast into question, for Ino began shaking in Chouji's arms mumbling something incoherently before going silent.

_She saw red. Not just any red, but a furious scarlet that shook her to the depths of her being. This was the red of blood, the red of murder, the red of a demon…_

_Pressing past her fears Ino could feel herself looking onward, eyes scanning every change as they emerged from the sea of crimson. On the walls was the splattered blood of many, many men. Added to that was the sickly splattering on the hard wood floors, every time her foot came down on the red life fluid. While the stickiness under her foot was making her nauseous, the real sickening sight laid before her. _

_There laid sprawled out on the floor was Sakura. Her lovely pink her matted with blood, blood that wasn't her own, and her eyes were half-lighted with consciousness. However it wasn't the blood in her hair or the look in her eyes that was freaking Ino out. It was the loss of her right arm, and the flood that following freely from the stub of an arm that cause her to expel the contents in her stomach. _

_Dropping to her knees, Ino continued to dry heave as a presence, a suffocating ocean of ki, stepped into her vision. The avatar of fear, the demon of crimson light, stood above Sakura mouth forming inaudible words. Everything seemed irrelevant in his wake; the torn ceiling that revealed three levels of floors above him before reaching the dying daylight, the blood splattered black and orange vest, the grime matted blond hair all seemed inconsequential under those soul piercing ruby eyes._

"_Is that N-naruto?'_ _Ino asked herself before everything began blurry._

"... I think she's coming too," said a familiar voice cried, before the images of Chouji, Shikamaru, Asuma, and Naruto came into view. Upon seeing the blond, despite his lack of demonic appearance, Ino began dry heaving again as Chouji held her hair.

"Are you okay?" the chubby boy asked worriedly. Never had Ino heard him take a tone like that, however it didn't matter, none of it mattered if they all were going to die.

'_Have to get out of here!'_ the blond haired girl cried to herself as she struggled to her feet. Everything: winning Sasuke, beating Sakura, even sticking to the fatso and bum seemed petty in comparison to the fear that was welling up inside her.

"Ino, are you okay?" Chouji pressed again, this time getting a weak nod from the blond. Meeting his eyes Ino could honestly say she was for once thankful for his support, so with a little reluctance she pried herself from his grip and stood up on her own. Looking over all the worried faces, Ino quickly looked away when her eyes fell on Naruto, the fear of his 'other' form creeping up inside her again.

"I think it's time for us to go. Sorry Kurenai your genjutsu lesson will have to wait," Asuma cut in, picking Ino up before he fell out once again. Just in time too, because Ino lost consciousness again, causing the normally lax jonin to put a bit of urgency in his step.

"Well that was weird, now wasn't it," Naruto said, trying to break the ice before catching a sandal to the back of the head.

"That was for being insensitive," Kyuubi barked, before making her way back into town. Realizing the time, Naruto knew that he was already late for his meeting with Anko, so with a reluctant sigh he made his way after Kyuubi, knowing that what the crazy snake woman had planned he wouldn't like it.

--

"Now you have fun, I'll be back in a moment!" Anko said, with suspicious benevolence. Her surprise, besides being sober, was Naruto's official introduction to explosive tags. Creation, altercation, and last but not least detonation were all subjects he was allowed to actively pursue. It was like birthday came early when Anko laid the ink and paper out and front of him and told him to have at it, and Naruto was so distracted by the chance to live out one of his dearest fantasies that he didn't notice Anko and Kyuubi, both, leaving the room.

"Do you think he'll notice we're gone?" Kyuubi asked, bemused by the excitement her warden was showing over a small piece of paper.

"You kidding, I doubt if they were announcing free ramen for a month he would notice," Anko joked before channeling some chakra along the walls of the room they were in. A multitude of seals flashed along the bare walls and floor, completely unabated by any sort of decoration or furnishing in the room.

At the cue of the flashing seals Kyuubi disrobed quickly, casting her summoned clothes to the side, leaving her bare for the special jonin to see. Anko had to admit, grudgingly at that, Kasumi had a nice body. Long hair, perfect curves, and a bra size that would make some girls green with envy the red-headed vixen was the epitome of beauty. Only problem with that is it blurred the precise lines Anko would need to graft to her body in order to complete the seal halfway fixated to her body.

Anko didn't know, or even want to know, why a girl so young need reinforcements seals already, but the Hokage ordered it and she would provide. It was tough being one of the few who studied seals within the village, there being only a handful of others and even fewer she knew personally, but because of that bastard snake sensei she once had it'd become a necessity. For one uncontrolled curse seal flare up and she'd either be dead or some deep in that psycho's twisted seal she wished she was. Pushing that particular training of thought back down from whence it came, Anko continued to focus on her work thankful the red-head had half completed it for her.

"You know, you're pretty good at fuinjutsu. You should consider it as a specialty; there are far too few of us as it is, and another woman in the field would definitely be a gift from Kami-sama himself," Anko rambled on, causing a smirk to sneak its way onto Kyuubi's face.

'_If you only knew Anko-san_… I've thought about it, and I might give it a try," Kyuubi said with mock innocence. After two weeks of intense study of the Uzumaki sealing techniques she still had made no progress in finding a way to realize her goal. A body, a real flesh and blood body, was her one desire; even more so than the death of that wretch bird demon. However the task was looking more and more impossible as not only were the Uzumaki seals incredibly hard to decipher, but overcoming the barrier between life and death was no task one could perform lightly.

'_It's going to take more time… Time I may not have,'_ Kyuubi thought, for the first time worrying if her efforts were merely going to be in vain. None of Konoha was ready to weather the attack of a true raging demon. Even she wasn't sure she could beat him even if she had her body back; but as it stood now the half completed reinforcement seals, no having trouble keeping up with her own blows as she brushed off her taijutsu, just wouldn't cut it.

"I'm ready when you are," Kyuubi called out to Anko, desperate to rid herself of at least some of her vulnerability.

"Okay, but no screaming though. The silence wards have been installed yet," and with that a blinding pain wracked Kyuubi's body.

--

'_I can't believe how light this thing is,'_ Naruto marveled, eyes scanning over his father's 'almost' weapon. Even though he still couldn't draw the out the blade, Naruto was shocked in how light the weapon was, and that was with its sheath included! He was no weapon's specialist, that was made evident when he first sparred with Tenten, however in his time at the Higurashi dojo he realized what a first class weapon should feel like. This was definitely top of the line: its balance, weight, and even length were all ideal for combat. However not being able to draw the marvelous weapon from his casing was always a subject of ire for the blond, so much that he finally approached Tenchi about it.

"Tenchi-sensei, why is it that I cannot, draw on the blade from its sheath? Is there a seal of some sorts preventing me from doing so?" Naruto questioned after he finished his warm ups. Warm-ups that consisted in deflecting kunai, much like he did in his first training session, however this exercise focused him to utilize his body to maximum efficiency. Basically he was forcing himself to become ambidextrous, for if any kunai came from the right - high or low behind or from the front- he'd have to deflect it using his right arm as his sword arm. The same applied for his left, and weaker, arm. It was taxing, tedious, and tormenting to try and learn to use a limb he'd had all his life. Fortunately the resetting of his muscles sped up the process greatly, estimating to be about the equivalent of using a hundred shadow clones to learn a jutsu. A high level and complex jutsu, that wouldn't be mastered anytime soon, but a shadow clone 'aided' jutsu nonetheless. However Naruto found it all worth it, for if it helped him learn to control a weapon his father planned on using, then any amount of pain and frustration was welcome.

"Yes, but not in the way you think. Originally this ninjato was made with the intention of channeling the Shinigami's power, so that the Yondaime-sama may be able to slay the Kyuubi rather than seal it," Tenchi explained, awe-striking as well as irritating Naruto at the same time. The blond was awestruck because there was actually a way to utilize the legendary death god technique - that could bind demons -, without using the customary suicide technique. It was probably still a suicide technique but one that granted the user even more power to defeat their enemies. However the irksome part of Tenchi's explanation was that he referred to Kyuubi as an 'it' rather than an individual. The irritation was unwarranted Naruto realized because: one Tenchi, nor any of his other sensei, knew of Kyuubi's true identity, and two the man had lost his wife on that day.

The memory of that conversation made Naruto regret ever feeling any negative emotions for the man, who literally lost his wife trying to save his father's…

Flashback

Three Years Earlier…

It was an usually sunny day in the middle of June, in other words and great to sneak out of his duties at Tenchi's shop and practice with a few of the shuriken in the back. However when Naruto arrived at the double wide building, wedged between two other shops, he noticed that the high quality store was closed.

'_Weird…,'_ the ten-year old blond though when he slid open the door, finding it hadn't been sealed shut yet. Once inside Naruto found that all the chores had been done: the floor had been swept, the orders were finished, and the weapons polished. Seeing this only added to the eerie feeling was beginning to creep into the back of his mind. Making his way to the back of the shop, where the stairs to the basement were, Naruto decided that Tenchi had probably stayed in the forge all night again and forgot to close up again.

"I wouldn't go down there," Tenten utter from right behind Naruto's ear, sending the boy up the ceiling. Looking up at the blond who resembled a scared cat, Tenten couldn't restrain a subdued laugh from passing through her lips. The oddity was immediately picked up by the already on edge blond, adding another odd piece of the strangeness that was happening that day.

"Why, has it not been cleaned again? Or is Tenchi-san working on a special project again," Naruto asked curiously, perplexed when Tenten just shook her head, that same subdued aura permeating from her being yet again.

"No, it's clean. However today is just one day that my dad doesn't want to be disturbed," Tenten explained, setting off countless alarms in the boy's head. Tenten never called Tenchi just dad unless she was angry.

"What-what's wrong?" Naruto asked with some hesitance, someone about this whole situation felt wrong.

"It's nothing really, just a private little day me and my father both take to ourselves to remember someone," Tenten uttered, her eyes with a far off expression. That's when it hit Naruto. This was the day that Kagome Higurashi, was born!

Naruto had quickly learned that the dead the woman died was in fact the same day he was born, making him feel horrible when he celebrated with the two weapons enthusiasts on the holiday. They quickly made light of it, both stressing that she'd want them to be happy their homeland was safe and not be burdened with the sadness of her passing. Out of respect they did just that, however when the day of her birth came around they held a moment of remembrance.

"Oh I'm sorry I'll just go then…," Naruto mumbled excusing himself. He'd never known his own family, so he imaged that the pain Tenten and Tenchi were going through was something similar to the pain he felt when he wondered about what he'd lost. It was times like that, when he realized that there was at least one pro to being alone, no one was there to see you at your weakest…

"No, you don't have to go," Tenten mumbled as well, her back to the boy. The blond just looked to her shocked, in slight disbelief that she was willing to share this time with him. The gesture was humbling to the highest degree, but at the same time Naruto found it incredibly precious for he realized that he was at least welcome in one place.

"Okay," Naruto muttered with a bright smile, and although it was a bit more restrained that usual, Tenten found that it had brightened up her gloomy day.

End Flashback…

The memory brought that same restrained smile to Naruto's features as he recalled the rest that transpired that day. He'd learned a lot about Tenten and her family that day. He learned that Kagome was a perfectionist of the highest order, much to the contrast of her husband who was possibly the most forgetting man on the planet, and always required a clean house and home. So on that day, both Tenten and Tenchi woke up early and cleaned the house top to bottom, in a way trying to make it seem as if the woman was still alive.

He also learned that like Tenten, Kagome was a weapon specialist. He skill was great enough to earn her the rank of jonin, but unofficial she was known 'The Wind from the East'; a title she earned from her comrades who witnessed her sweep across the battle field like an unstoppable gale, her weapons cleaving and skewering any opponent she came across.

Lastly Naruto learned a lot about himself that day, well indirectly at least. He learned that Kagome was a teammate to Uzumaki Kushina, and that during the last moments of the Kyuubi attack she'd fought on the front lines to stall and give her husband time to finish the weapon that was meant to kill the Fox in its tracks. It was a futile stand, for Tenchi could not finish the weapons in time and thus the fourth had to go with his first plan resulting in not only his death but that of his wife. It was a failure that shook Tenchi so much that he quit being a shinobi, focusing primarily on his craft as a way to repent for his last failure.

Naruto realized that Kagome left a lot of holes in her loved ones lives, the most being Tenten who idolized her mother to the point where she want to be just like her. Many, including her father, thought it was a sort of tribute to the deceased woman, but Naruto knew better. He'd learned on that day three years ago, that Tenten didn't practice weapons religiously to emulate her mother, well not entirely, she did it to keep the spirit of her mother alive for her father. It was a noble gesture to say the least; one Naruto felt honored to know of, and born from that honor was the vow to never tell his sensei of it. The man was already a mess in the wake of his late wife, but learning that his daughter to continually trying to be strong for him would possibly push him over the edge.

"So does that mean I can never draw out the full potential of this sword?" Naruto asked, going back to the subject from before and pushing the solemn thoughts down for another time.

"Probably not, unless you can somehow find a way to channel a Shinigami's power without losing your life. However after the attack, I adjusted the seal so that the day I gave it to you it would begin feeding on your chakra, attuning itself to you, so that when the process is complete it will become _your_ blade," Tenchi explained, unknowingly helping Naruto repress any thoughts of that day, with words about his future.

"Cool, so I guess it'll be up to me to name this thing as well then won't it," Naruto muttered, having completely switched gears in his mind. Names of strange and truly eerie origins came from all corners of the boy's mind, however none of them seemed to fit.

"I suppose you will, but then again it would only be fitting that you name the sword's brother as well," Tenchi stated, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow to the giant of a man.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know you were a baby the time, but when I was creating this sword I made a companion blade. It really was a request by your father when he ordered the sword made; one for him and one for Kushina, so that if the need should ever arise that the Shinigami needed to be used again his Successor would have the tools readily available," Tenchi explained, implying that Kushina was to be Hokage once the Fourth pasted.

"…So where is the blade now?" Naruto asked after a moment's contemplation, wanting to know where his mother's sword lies.

"Wherever the Yondaime and his wife were laid to rest, that was my last gift to them," Tenchi replied solemnly, thus reopening a previous closed door in Naruto's mind. It was going to be hard to practice that day, for Naruto's mind was constantly on another subject…

--

"Report," the bandaged man ordered quickly. His voice didn't have to be nigh above a whisper for this particular individual to hear and obey. The white cloaked Anbu rested on a knee as he began recounting his observation of the past two weeks back to his superior. Ever since Uzumaki Naruto had been released from the hospital, he had been watching. His presence was always masked, and his intentions were never openly hostile, well at least until today.

His attack on the Fox woman was made to be ambiguous as possible, thus pointing any possible detectives in multiple directions in which thoroughly covered his tracks. It was a trait his superiors, in particular Danzo, like about this individual; he was quick, efficient, and clean. He was like their private ninjato, mirroring the weapon he carried on his back; perfect in every aspect, as well as hidden away from all eyes, making him even more deadly.

"Good, good… Our dear Naruto-kun seems to be progressing at a phenomenal rate. The time for us to recruit him may be soon upon us, however what of the woman? Does the 'Fox' suspect anything?" Danzo asked beckoning the soldier to rise. Although not an intimidating figure at first glance, an warrior unfortunate enough to make it pass this man's initial greeting had to deal with the crushing presence he merely emitted from just being there. However for those cursed even worse luck, looking in the shinobi's eyes was what was truly damning. The obscured green irises sung of untold stories, visions no man should see and could remain in tact, they were the eyes of the damned, the soulless.

"…No," the white-clothed wraith relented, take a moment to think back to see if there was any possible way Kyuubi could connect this back to his superior.

"Excellent, you've once again proven your worth a thousand times over. You are dismissed for the time being. Report back at the usual time for your next assignment," Danzo ordered, and like that the man was gone, no trail left behind from his soundless, smokeless, and sealless Shunshin.

"Now for the next step…," Danzo rattled off to no one in particular as he penned a letter to his associate in the Wave. There would an 'employment suggestion' necessary before Naruto encountered his first trial, one that was more fitting to his current growing skills.

"Yes that is much more… appropriate," Danzo muttered before summoning a particularly large, black bird. Tying the message to its leg, Danzo didn't need to give it any orders as the summon was already in tune to his thoughts.

Taking off into the night sky, the dark messenger flew off with silent wing beats, on its leg holding the catalyst to calamity…

Read and Review

**Futon: Boufuu **(Wind Release: Gale): _Low D-ranked_ _Ninjutsu_. As a principle wind jutsu, this technique teaches the art of manipulating and controlling wind speed, direction, and pressure to beginners of the form. Masters can create a wall of incredibly strong and sharp chakra from the simple few seals that can easily tear down a Konoha oak where it stands.

**Futon: Uzu **(Wind Release: Swirl): _Low D-ranked Ninjutsu_. The second principle wind jutsu, this technique teaches users to control wind it one of its most natural destructive forms. Although it isn't often, a wind master can devastate a whole area with this technique if enough chakra is used. However doing so would be more of a matter of flash than necessity as the chakra cost would be horrendous.

**Katon: Tenka** (Fire Release: Ignition): _Low D-ranked Ninjutsu_. As a principle fire jutsu, this technique teaches the user how create flames by burning oxygen and chakra with their fingers as the 'ignition'. Master's of this technique incorporate it into their taijutsu for flaming strikes or into other ninjutsu to create explosive effects.

**Katon: Hokushi **(Fire Release: Spitfire): _Low D-ranked_ _Ninjutsu_. The second principle fire jutsu, this jutsu teaches the art of breathing and expelling fire to newcomers of the art. The level of mastery is determined by the range the jutsu is effective in, and masters can refine the technique to the point where a white hot line of fire and launch out to an unsuspecting target piercing him in a quick and precise manner.

**Suiton: Gyoshu **(Water Release:Condensation): _Low D-ranked Ninjutsu_. As a principle water jutsu, this jutsu teaches the art of collecting and compressing water to newcomers of the art, otherwise own as the 'pull' in the element's eternal dance. Masters can collect water samples not only from readily available sources but also form usable amounts of water from underground and even from the vapor in the air.

**Suiton: Chinko **(Water Release: Precipitate): _Low D-ranked Ninjutsu_. The second principle water jutsu, this jutsu teaches the user to expel all collected water at a desired location, otherwise known as the 'push' in the element's eternal dance. As with other techniques of various elements the master level user of this technique can be just as fearsome as higher ranked jutsu, for master of this technique can expel water from any location it has been collected.

**Suimeisai **(Water Camouflage): _Low C-ranked_ _Genjutsu._ Utilizing a body of water as a hiding spot, Naruto effectively saturates the pool with his chakra, allowing him to move throughout the pool freely as well as attack from another given point at anytime. However there are downfalls as chakra usage is proportional to the amount of water being saturated, and to use the Shunshin/kawarimi properties, ones control must remain at a constant high level.

**Nensogo no jutsu **(Sense Discord Technique): _Low D-ranked Genjutsu_. This technique is more commonly known as the 'Fundamental Five' jutsu, for it is used to teach genin the basics of advanced genjutsu. The technique involves using chakra to directly affect any one of the victim's means of sensual perception. Its applications may be simple, but like the Henge, Bunshin, and Kawarimi, it can be used in a multitude of situations thus making it the 'go to' genjutsu in a tight spot. Masters of the technique can manipulate many senses at once, creating a truly crippling technique out of just one simple jutsu.

**Shinryo no jutsu **(Diagnosis Technique): _Mid D-ranked Medical Jutsu_. A fundamental medical technique that allows the user to quickly evaluate any ailments the patient may have via a chakra overlay. Proficiency comes form both better chakra control and consecutive usage, as the user's chakra needs to be fine enough so that they can interact with the most negligible of ailments as well as the user's clinical knowledge most be up-to-date so that they can recognize those ailments as they arise. However to say that the jutsu's usage is only limited to treating ailments would be an gross misconception, as Naruto is known for turning the most unlikely of techniques into a well of potential.

A/N: Seriously guys, I don't know what gotten into me! 21k words! I'd never dreamed I'd be one of those people who had some much to say. However despite its size, I think this is my favorite chapter so far (I know I say that a lot), but there's just so much in here I'm surprised it all came out of my head. Hopefully you liked the little bits regarding the other, no-so-main, characters. The breaking and corruption of Hinata was my favorite, but if you really want to see a Hinata tear down scene (for Kami knows why) look you Naruto: Fuujinroku. Now that is a long fic, but really worth as Daneel Rush-sama knows how to do characterization!

As for the Harem conundrum, I think Hinata, Tenten, and Ino's personal scenes are answer enough. Also in regards to Ino's 'breakdown', believe there is more pertaining to that to come. Oh believe once you find out what that's all about you'll either hate me for my deviousness or love me because it's oh so juicy lol! I know, I know I'm tooting my own horn but 'honk honk' because omg, what's coming up in this fic actually keeps me up at night sometimes.

As for the whole Kyuubi/Kasumi flip flopping, I tried to stay consistent with the name. By that I mean I called her Kyuubi when it was through the fox perspective or Naruto's when I was speaking of her, and Kasumi if it was anyone else other than them or the Hokage. Also about the vixen queen, I know a few of you may be wondering why has she been 'nerfed' when compared to other, even my own, fics? Well let's just say it's a little experiment I'm trying with this fic, so bare with me for the time being.

Enough on that though, I'd like to take this time out of the chapter to say FEED ME REVIEWS. Damnit I feel like the red-head stepchild, stop paying attention to the stuck up eldest and bitchy youngest and give me some attention. Because seriously this is how assholes are born, by ignoring the signs lol. Really though click that button down there and tell me what you thought, feedback is always welcome (as long as it stays constructive, for flames will be repelled by my flameproof poncho!)

Completed 12/01/09


	7. Breaking The Threshold

Wow a far greater critical response! Now that's what I'm talking about! Now for those out there who read Death of A Demon, Birth Of A… I'd like to thank you all for helping me reach over 500 reviews!!! I'm finally fortune five hundred baby lol. As for this fic, man I get the feeling it may go above and beyond all that I've expected, especially after you finish this chapter.

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

--

Chapter Seven: Breaking The Threshold…

--

Chouji was determined. This wasn't a completely foreign feeling to him, but it it'd definitely been awhile since he'd ever been so focused on something. Well something other than food that is…

'_Asuma-sensei will understand. He always understands…,'_ however the mental whisper did little to quell the anxious energy spreading throughout his body. Like the determination that was solidly fixated in his mind, this feeling wasn't foreign either. No this feeling was a warm and familiar as a warm breeze on a summer day or a cup of hot tea after an afternoon snack. This feeling was the warm tingling sensation he'd gotten each and every time he thought of Ino. Well thought of her as a girl, and not an annoying busybody.

It started as a small crush; something so childish that, even now, he couldn't consider it noteworthy. He'd merely seen her wide innocent blue eyes and soft jubilant smile, and Chouji knew that Ino was definitely a girl worth getting to know. However 'getting to know' her proved harder than he thought, because even though they spent countless hours in each others' presence, there wasn't enough family play dates in the world that could distract Ino away from something she set her eyes on.

And that something happened to be Uchiha Sasuke…

It was humbling indeed to have to swallow his pride and take a step back to a boy who cared nothing for Ino, but Chouji knew that there was no stopping the blonde girl once she really got motivated. That was something he and Shikamaru had learned the hard way when they first met the young Yamanaka. Whether it was toys, candy, food, or attention Ino got what she wanted or no one got what they wanted. It was far from an endearing trait but Chouji found it so nonetheless; though it was possible that the 'Akimichi Curse' had a role in that attraction.

'_Dad did say that any woman strong/cunning/bossy enough to take food away from an Akimichi was probably the girl for him,'_ and with that in mind Chouji approached his sensei from behind. It was their day off and both Ino and Shikamaru would sure to be off doing whatever, and for that Chouji was thankful seeing as it gave him a chance to approach Asuma with his 'proposal'.

"Asuma-sensei…,"

"Hmmm?" the gruff jonin replied to the timid response. Raising an eyebrow at the sealed document, Asuma unfurled the scroll and began reading.

'_So one of them is finally starting to take this a little more seriously. I'm only surprised it wasn't Ino…_ You know Chouji you didn't have to write up a formal request to get more training out of me," Asuma said once he looked up from the parchment.

"I know, but I read somewhere that in order to gain enrollment into the shinobi medical academy, I'll need my jonin sensei's recommendation,"

'_Now I'm definitely surprised it wasn't Ino…_ That's correct, but what brought this about? There aren't many medics in the shinobi corps, especially males given the fact women are more adapt at chakra control,"

"Well when Ino passed out yesterday it got me thinking. What would happen if we were on the field and something happened to one of us? None of us are qualified to handle that situation, and even though you are a jonin Asuma-sensei, we shouldn't be careless with our lives. I wouldn't be able to bear it if I lost one of you guys," Chouji explained with a far-off look.

"_Ah so there's the root of it all, and it's a shame Ino doesn't know what's she missing…_I'm impressed Chouji. Not only did you realize the dangers of our professions on your own, but you actually thought of steps to better get a handle on the problem. That's the type of thinking that makes a good leader, and moreover that's the type of thinking that saves lives," Asuma responded as he lit up a cigarette. It was a bad habit, he knew that, but it was something in his blood that wouldn't rest until he had warm nicotine coursing through his veins.

"So you'll do it!" Chouji exclaimed obviously happy with teacher's praise.

"I don't see why not. However the exams are in less than two weeks, so you'll have to play catch-up if you even want to stand a chance at getting even a partial license," Asuma warned as he exhaled a plume of smoke. The narcotic fumes were like an ethereal ambrosia to his senses, overloading them with pleasure as they slowly killed him from the inside.

"I know Asuma-sensei. Naruto was the one who actually told me about it yesterday. He's aiming to be a medic as well, and possibly a kenjutsu master judging from the weapon he was holding when I saw him. It really surprised me, seeing as Naruto was such a class clown in the academy, but I guess it just proves that we all have to grow up sometime."

Asuma was at a loss for words, so much even that his cigarette fell from his mouth. Letting the devil's candy hit the ground, Asuma casually ground the cancer stick into the dirt as he thought of the words that had just been passed to him.

Naruto! Naruto of all people was the catalyst to all the insight he'd seen in his _least promising_ student! The irony was in that was not lost on him, and so with a chuckle Asuma sent Chouji on his way, assuring the boy he would do his part in securing the boy a spot in the medical academy.

"Thank you so much Asuma-sensei! I won't let you down!" Chouji exclaimed before dashing off, probably to get a head start on his studies.

"That brat is definitely getting interesting. I wonder what the old man will think when I tell him he influenced an Akimichi of all people to become a medic?" Pondering that Asuma made his way to the Hokage's Tower, bemused by the different routes this year's genin crop was taking.

--

'_I'm a nervous wreck,'_ was the one resounding thought in Hinata's head as she stood before the double doors to her father's private dojo. She had a plan, one that she'd spent all night mulling over, but it did absolutely nothing to quell the butterflies' 'spring fever' in the pit of her stomach. In a way it was only natural for a person to be nervous when standing at the foot of what many referred to as the 'Lion's Den', because even to this very day Hiashi was the most intimidating figure, bar the Hokage, in Konoha.

His Jyuuken was nigh-legendary, having been taking to that height after defeated one of the Mist's fabled Seven Swordsmen unarmed and isolated from his group. It was said that even the burly man's bone marrow was fried from the intensity of the Jyuuken strikes he was subject to! However it wasn't Hiashi's skill that scared Hinata. No she actually dreamt that one day she could be as good as her father and sometimes, in a particularly good dream, even eclipse the man's might through her own skill.

The thing that caused the timid Hyuuga Heiress the most grief when she spoke with her ever-impassive father was the cool detachment he'd taken to anything even remotely linked to her. It was as if he diagnosed everything she did with a critical eye that left her feeling as if she was lacking in some crucial area. What hurt even more was the fact that this hadn't started until _after_ her mother died.

Hinata often wondered if it was the grief over his late wife's passing that isolated her once warm father from her, or if it was something else. The fiery red-head's words still stood out prominently in her mind, even more so that the sting of her blows. In fact it was because of that painful tirade that Hinata had been up all night mulling over ways to approach her impassive, but still incredibly daunting, father.

'_Well Kasumi did say that he would most likely be there to help. All I have to do is ask.'_

However that reassurance did little for her confidence…

So with a single pull the screen separating her from goal had been moved aside, and with a trembling step Hinata made her way into nearly vacant room. The lone soul, other than herself, was setting in the center of the fairly large chamber silently mediating. Although having made no attempt to acknowledge her presence, Hinata was sure that her father knew she was there; showing that even in his most Zen like of states he still held that firm detachment for anything in regards to his eldest offspring.

"O-O-Otou-sama, may I have a moment," Hinata uttered from her bow, her voice was as humble as her posture. Silence reigned between them for what seemed to be an eternity, and throughout the whole ordeal Hinata's eyes stayed trained on her father's back. It was a sight she had gotten used to over the years, as over the course of her childhood she began to associate the sight with failure and disappointment. Further still, in her mind, the sight of her father's back signified that she wasn't even worth the time it took to look at her.

"O-Otou-sama…"

"I heard you the first time Hinata, and I will also add it is rather rude to interrupt someone's private reflection time isn't it?"

The rhetorical question burned in Hinata's mind hot than her embarrassed burned on her face.

"Gomen Otou-sama, I will be brief. I have come to ask two things. One being can I enter the Konoha Medical Corps…"

"I believe you only need your jonin-sensei's permission to do such a thing, however I will look over that misstep and grant you your wish. You may join the corps."

The sweeping feeling of joy offset the slight humiliation of wasting her father's time. Hinata couldn't believe that she'd actually gained some sort of approval from her father, even if it wasn't based off her own merit yet. Although she realized she shouldn't be so surprised, because before even the first kata of Jyuuken was created the monk ancestors of the Hyuuga were masters of the medical arts.

"Arigatou gozaimasu Otou-sama, and for my second request…," and with this Hinata paused, pooling her courage for her next request. Her caesura did not go unnoticed by the Hyuuga Head, who was silently wondering at what could be so nerve wrecking for his daughter.

"Yes continue…,"

"- I would like to train with you!" Hinata blurted out, before raising a hand over her mouth. Not only had she requested, well demanded, something from the leader of her clan but she'd cut him off in the same breath.

'_I have disrespected him while at the same time asking for a favor… Kami-sama what have I done to deserve this?'_

However unknown to Hinata, the gears in her father's head began turning. It wasn't often that someone interrupted him while he was in his private dojo, albeit the last person to do so was a Main branch member challenging him to an honor duel with the spot as Hyuuga Head as the prize. The man had to be carried out after the mauling he received, thus christening the dojo the 'Lion's Den' to any of those still looking for a way to claim power. Unfortunately the name stuck along with its bad reputation, scaring off those with all but the most urgent matters.

Matters like the ones his daughter had presented him…

Her first request, although unnecessary, was heartening the Byakugan master. Hinata had always been a kind soul, which was part of the reason he'd distanced himself from her. Kindness did have a place in the world, it just wasn't on the battlefield, and that was the lesson he was trying to impart by keeping his distance.

And as for her second request…

"You wish to advance your understanding in Jyuuken, even though you struggle with many of the 'intermediate' level skills?" Hiashi questioned lightly, his tone coming off as a mocking reminder of her ineptitude. However Hinata drew her courage once again intent on seeing her request through to the end.

"Hai Otou-sama that is my wish,"

'_Not backing down eh… Good she's finally showing some backbone.'_ So without another word Hiashi rose to his feet, dwarfing his daughters hunched-over form by at least five times over. Turning around and casting his evaluating gaze onto the girl, Hiashi searched within the pearly depths of her eyes, looking for some sort of confirmation that this would be worth his while.

And what he found, behind the hesitance and awe, was a solid wall of determination. One in which the likes he'd never seen in his eldest before…

'_Hitomi our daughter's seems to have taken after you in mores ways than one.'_ And with that Hiashi activated his Byakugan, and fell into the Jyuuken 'cat-stance'. Answering the unspoken beckoning Hinata scrambled to her feet and fell into a similar stance, her hesitation wavering in the face of her father's acceptance.

It was time to show him that she was truly ready to take the next step…

With single handseal Hinata activated her Byakugan, and with her chakra enhanced vision, she noted the subtle nuance in her father's expression. While still cool and detached, this gaze was far more evaluating and analytical, as if he were assessing a threat. While it wasn't the warm gaze she longed for, Hinata was glad that her father was taking this seriously and did not regard her as inconsequential.

'_It's now or never,'_ and with that mental push Hinata charged forth. Although her form was far from perfect and her movements lacked the fluidity of a seasoned Jyuuken user, Hiashi could tell Hinata had indeed been practicing fiercely for weeks, possibly months even…

However no amount of practice in that limited time set could make up the sheer difference in skill that separate the two's power. And that fact was proven when Hiashi deflected Hinata's opening strike with a mere flick of his wrist, pushing the dagger of focused chakra to the side as if it was a curtain draped over a doorway.

It was then that Hinata really saw the gap separating them for the first time. It was like an abyss in itself, one that could only be conquered with years of hard work and precise guidance. However as it stood now, Hinata was the foolish monkey trying to grasp the moon's image in the water.

'_Can't stop.'_ Pushing forward with her other palm, Hinata aimed for her father's chest once again determination still shining in her eyes. The determination was noted by the Hyuuga Head, but just as keenly as he saw that light, he deflected her second attempt at his heart.

'_Her vindication is impressive, but her form is lacking. Not the traits of a successful…,'_ but the clan lord's train of thought was cut off by the spear of focused chakra of the tip of his daughter's foot honing in directly on his chin. This time showing some emotion at his daughter's offensive feat, Hiashi let a nigh-discernable smile form on his face as his daughter cart-wheeled away from him after her third failed attempt to score a hit.

'_Some much like her mother…_ like Hitomi," and from that quiet uttering of his late wife's name, echoed a cascade of memories of the dead woman. The most prominent being the particular scowl she sported whenever she was especially keen on something. It was the same scowl Hinata had plastered on her face as she thought of another way to approach the wall-of-skill known as her father.

'_The difference in our range is only second to our difference in skill, but I can't stop…_ I won't stop," Hinata whispered as grabbed the twin sai mounted on the wall behind her. Although it didn't occur to her that they were the only weapons mounted in the whole dojo, or the reason behind it, Hinata still grasped weapons encrusted with her family seal and twirled them with profound ease. The cool steel felt foreign in her grasp, but at the same time familiar as her favorite kunai. It was a hard feeling to pin down, but for some reason she felt as if the crafted steel in her hands were the answer dilemma.

Unbeknownst to Hinata however, the playful twirling of the weapons had unintentionally drawn another parallel between her and her deceased mother. The sais, an artifact handed down from generation to generation, were wielded by some of the fiercest Hyuuga warriors in history and her mother being one of the many in that proud legacy. With them she could tear down even the strongest defense with a single stroke, and execute her Jyuuken with practiced ease even though it was being transferred through a medium. They were the Hyuugas' crowd jewel, and one of the few keepsakes Hiashi had of his wife.

'_My Hitomi, how our daughter takes after you,'_ the Hyuuga Head mused as he weaved through Hinata's onslaught. As with her Jyuuken, her skill was nowhere near as polished as her mother's, but unlike with the ancient art, Hinata seemed to be far more at ease jabbing and poking the twin metal prods at her father than with the style she'd being trying to master for over a decade.

So in that respect fate did indeed work in mysterious ways, because for one to truly master something they must first learn to enjoy it. And judging from the emotion Hinata was showing from her wild onslaught, Hiashi could see that she enjoyed battling with her mother's sais much more than with her bloodline's ancient combat style.

"Hyaaaa!" The petite girl punctuated her final charge ferociously, as she stabbed both the ancestral weapons forward. Both sai were brimming with primed chakra, more than enough to close tenketsu and possibly strong enough to affect the actual coil system rather than just the tips! However while Hinata's last strike was potential deadly it lack the finesse needed to be a threat to someone as experienced as Hiashi.

So with a casual ease Hiashi sidestepped the twin prod strike, and with a grace only attainable by a Jyuuken master, tapped the twin tenketsu on his daughter's wrist. The sudden loss of chakra to the extremity caused Hinata's hands to seize up… painfully.

'_Hmmm, I'm surprised she didn't drop them,'_ Hiashi noted as peered down on his slouching daughter, the exhaustion from her last blitzkrieg having caught up with her. However even after the taxing assault Hinata manage to keep hold of the twin weapons out of pure willpower. Needless to say Hiashi was impressed, even if he hid it well, that _his_ daughter would be the youngest in history to weather the time tested Hyuuga disarming technique.

"Enough… You will report here every evening for additional instruction if that is what you wish," Hiashi uttered, slightly surprised that his normal commanding tone had softened.

"H-hai arigatou gozaimasu Otou-sama,"

"Well than I would like to return to my meditation Hinata…,"

"H-hai Otou-sama…,"

"- And Hinata, Hitomi would be proud,"

The Byakugan master didn't need to activate his bloodline limit to know his daughter was frozen at the foot on the dojo's threshold, shocked that he'd mentioned her late mother. Straightening her stance, Hinata walked out of the room with a newfound sense of confidence, leaving a slightly smirking father in her wake…

--

"Interesting initiative, and honestly quite surprising when taking into account who it's coming from," Hokage commented as he tasted the rich Fire Country tobacco.

"Chouji's always been a bit of a slacker, but he has a big heart. Medicine will just be the appropriate channel for the trait,"

"I meant no offense to your student," the elder Sarutobi stated, hearing the slight edge in his son's voice.

"I know, but you have a tendency to not be so accepting of other's choices…,"

The Hokage winced at that one. It had been less than a year since he'd reconciled with his son; a death in the family, Asuma's brother and Hiruzen's oldest, being the catalyst. However the words spoken when Asuma decided to become the Fire Lord's personal guard, no matter how far away they seemed, were still very fresh in both their minds.

'_No need to reopen a door I successfully closed already,'_ the Hokage noted as he let Asuma's comment hang in the air.

"Agreed, however the case at hand is whether or not your student is ready for the rigors of the medical institution," the Hokage relented, redirecting the conversation to safer grounds.

"I believe he is, and I'll site his clan's study in bodily manipulation and his own determination to protect his teammates as assurances to his seriousness,"

"Good, good, I'm glad to see that another is interested in such a demanded, but rarely sought after, field. However with the bar exam only two weeks away, do you believe Chouji will have enough time to make the first cut, or would you rather wait a few months and have him take it during the next exam?" the Hokage questioned, now paying keen attention to his once wayward son as he contemplated his choices.

'_Only two weeks…, that going to be a definite stretch especially once we add the new training regimen into the equation. However Chouji is schooled in the rudimentary Akimichi techniques, so most of the basics of medicine have been covered by his family in teaching him that. He'll just need one hell of a tutor, and will probably miss a few nights sleep in the process, but it should be possible,'_ Asuma argued to himself, weighing the effects of a stressful workload on green genin.

'_In worse case scenario he'll have to retake it during the Chunin Exams, which shouldn't be a problem as of yet… _Yes I believe he can do it, but he'll need a tutor to help him," Asuma finally said. His decision was meet with a quiet nod from his father, one that strangely reminded him of the times when he'd made is old man particularly proud of him.

'_And with Chouji, that makes three…_ It's good to see you've already placed your faith in your genin team. Hopefully Konoha will be on its way as well,"

'_This again…_ Look dad, I understand that my decision to join the Fire Lord's Guardian Twelve wasn't the most popular decision-"

"-But it was yours to make and your mother would be proud," Hiruzen cut in, assuring his son that he didn't harbor any ill will because of his time away. His wife and Asuma's mother was an amazing woman, one who complimented the seemingly invincible 'Professor' in every way. Senju Mao, Center Cherry Blossom of The Thousand Forest, was just that to the Sarutobis'; the center of their universe within the village of the leaves.

She had all the class, sophistication, and poise of the Senju nobles but was willing to but her life on the line for her village as well as her loved ones. Knowing that made her passing all the more bittersweet for those she left behind.

'_Hell I would have left as well, but Konoha needed a leader and I had no inclination of leaving it defenseless… _Plus Mao would've called me a pussy for leaving," the Hokage grimaced quietly, remembering one of his late wife's _endearing_ traits.

While normally sweet and mild, once riled up, Senju Mao was a primed exploding tag with a high yield in curses and general vulgarity. Sarutobi shuddered at the memory of some of his encounters with the darker side of his wife's dichotomy, the birth of their youngest being the most vivid in his mind.

"What was that dad?" Asuma asked obliviously, not at all realizing his place in his father's current musings.

"Your mother really loved you is all… _And the fact that she swore she'd never have another child again, my twice broken hand as testament to that,'_ the Hokage added mutedly, repressing the thoughts of his wounded hand with the fond recollection of the loving look on his wife's face has she held their youngest for the first time…

The youngest in which was in his late twenties and had his own genin team…

"Yeah I know, and remembering that makes me want to start a family of my own,"

"Ah, and I'm guessing you've found someone with the potential to do that?"

"Possibly, but I don't want to say to much, otherwise I may jinx it,"

"Yuuhi is a fine young woman, and a capable jonin as well; one that'll keep you in line whenever, I'm not around to do so," the Hokage stated as he and his son shared an amused chuckle.

"Whatever you say, old man. Just don't go dying anytime soon, I'm sure aniki and ka-san will be mighty pissed at you if you crossover and don't get to see a second grandchild born," and with that Asuma made his way out of his father's office with a casual wave. The elder Sarutobi just shook his head with a wry smile on his face, as he stamped two more medical admission forms.

--

Naruto tried to focus on what Kabuto was saying, he really did; but the challenge Iruka issued only a few minutes prior still rung loudly in his mind. The chunin was willing to teach him a chunin level elemental jutsu if he was able to create his own original, and functioning, ninjutsu within the remainder of his month off.

So with a little less than two weeks Naruto decided to up the ante a little bit. Three original techniques for three ninjutsu, Iruka's reaction was anything but shocked and chunin just chuckled before accepting the terms.

But not before adding a few terms of his own…

'_So I have to master bunshin, kawarimi, and henge techniques on top of creating my own jutsu. Big deal, at the end of it all I walk away with at least nine ninjutsu under my belt and anything else I manage to get from my other tutors.'_ Musing on what it meant to master a jutsu, Naruto was actually glad that Iruka didn't specify that he had to do it with his own jutsu as well.

'_Serves the slave driver right that he left a loophole, 'cause there is no way in hell I'm gonna create a jutsu and refine it to the point that I can cast it silent, smokeless, and sealless in under two weeks!'_

However even though Iruka's definition of mastery was borderline perfection, Naruto had to marvel at the man's dedication for perfecting his skills. He'd experienced first hand what a mastered shunshin could do for somebody, and Naruto longed to reach that level.

'_Plus it'll cut down on the bruises I have to endure when performing that technique'_ Naruto echoed, as his training with the teleportation technique was finally beginning to wear his nerves. Kyuubi figured it was his control, and to an extent she was correct, but it also turned out that the sheer level of spatial awareness involved in that technique was something that most twelve year olds couldn't fathom yet.

"… Supposedly trigonometry helps," Naruto slipped as he idly jabbed another senbon into the practice dummy.

"What was that Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked kindly as he watched his student slowly turn the practice doll into something resembling the Kusa's voodoo war dolls.

"Nothing Kabuto-sensei, just realizing how awesome senbon are!" Naruto exclaimed with mock exuberance, shoving the thoughts of Iruka's challenge to the back if his mind.

While he had used his faux enthusiasm to cover up absent mindedness, Naruto could say that medicine was quickly becoming one of his favorite subjects. Not only did almost all of the skills needed to be a medic transfer to his other fields of interest - chakra control, anatomy, and chemistry to name a few - but the whole world of medicine was utterly fascinating to the young blonde. That and senbon were way more kick-ass than kunai or shuriken once you learned to use them…

"Well I guess you've finally hit the 'wall'," Kabuto uttered with a sigh as he pushed up his glasses.

"What do you mean Kabuto-sensei?"

"What I mean is that you are at the point that every aspiring med student reaches in journey to medical enlightenment,"

"And that is…," Naruto asked again, a bit put off by the melodramatics.

"-The place were theory becomes utterly boring and you need some actual 'hands-on' experience to show you that medicine is still your passion," Kabuto finished, smirking once he saw a familiar shine flash in Naruto's eyes. It was the same look he gave Iruka when he tempted him with their little 'bet', and it was the same look he had when he realized that he was learning to both his mother and his father's crafts. It was the look that a little kid got when the received a new toy.

"So I'll finally get to operate on…"

"- Kami no! Doing that would be like the Hokage condoning human experimentation," Kabuto jabbed playfully, knowing Naruto was sensitive about his skill level.

"So what did you mean by hands on then?"

"What I meant was that you would be learning to fight like a 'med-nin'," Kabuto explained, while pushing up his glasses once more. The gleam over his spectacles may have hid the amused glint in his eyes, but it really didn't matter as they both had matching grins on their faces.

'_This is gonna be fun…,'_

Thirty Minutes Later…

"Now Naruto you need to moderate your chakra better or you risk burning out your cells' reserves," but the older nin's words were swept aside by Naruto need to test his boundaries. The debilitating crash that was supposed to come after extended use of the Taishihai no jutsu (Body Control Technique), was simply not a factor when the blonde's unique new body structure came into play. The jutsu, which amplified the output of the body's performance on a cellular level, was the med-nin's secret to close combat success. That and the fact that their taijutsu made an opponent's body work against itself…

Focusing even more chakra into the jutsu, Naruto could feel the molded chakra within him swell with energy before the crest of power filtered into his system, refreshing him like a cool breeze. Riding on that wave of power, Naruto felt every aspect of his performance - speed, power, and precision - increase to a nigh-improbable level before…

Crack!

'_What the…_ FUCK!" Naruto shouted as he tumbled to the ground in mid stride, the mock battle between him and Kabuto ending with his fall. True to Kabuto's warning, his inability to control his chakra caused stress to build up internal which eventual led to the seizing up of his knees. Truth be told, the reaction should have happened more than twenty minutes ago at the rate Naruto's body was surmounting the build up of stress, but once again his 'uniqueness' proved to be a curious subject for the older medic.

'_I'll have to make note of that in information achieves,' _Kabuto said to himself as he waved a green covered hand over Naruto's throbbing knees. The _anterior cruciate ligament had taken the brunt of the damage, but in the shinobi world it was a common injury and one that the experienced genin knew how to handle well. _

_"Relax for a moment while I fix this," Kabuto ordered as he let the healing energies do their work. The effects were almost instantaneous and immediate relief filled the pain riddle area. _

_"Thanks I'm guessing I should have listened from before," Naruto offered sheepishly as he rose to his feet, Kyuubi's youki dealing with any residual discomfort from the injury. _

_"Not a problem. I too know how it is too be young, and it was better you discovered your limits here rather than out on the fields where you or your friends lives may have depended on your ability to execute this technique,"_

_"Yeah… but still, I feel as though I owe you an apology,"_

_"Well then apology accepted, Naruto-kun," Kabuto said as he offered the same kind smile he always gave the blonde whenever he out a bit too out of hand. _

_"So what are we doing next Kabuto-sensei? Can we work a bit more on that medic taijutsu? My kenjutsu may be coming along well enough, but you can never be too prepared," Naruto suggested while recalling his one glaring weakness. _

_His taijutsu as by far his least practiced skill as of late, and had suffered stagnation due to the simple fact he didn't have a proper instructor. Part of him wanted to go off and learn that style Kyuubi had hinted to when she referred of her 'spar' with Hinata_ the day prior but from what he got of the conversation it would take a great deal of medical knowledge and precision to master. Both of which he just didn't have, yet…

However only moments ago Kabuto introduced him to what may be the solution to his taijutsu. The basic sets of the Medic Fighting Method, which was shortened to MFM over the passing of the years, took its basis from the Senju's principle taijutsu and focused mainly on self-defense (1). Which was fitting considering that it was Hashimara granddaughter who pulled the style together from bits of her clan's taijutsu style and many anatomical weaknesses that only a medic could easily exploit.

'_He's a far cry from being at Tsunade's level, but there is a certain flare to Naruto's own 'adaptations','_ Kabuto mused as he recalled Naruto frightening ability to control his ki. Such a high level technique was usually lost unto medics seeing as their taijutsu style was much like their specialty, built around the preservation of life rather than the destruction of it. However true to complexity that was Uzumaki Naruto, his ability to utilize ki with great proficiency turned that belief on its ear.

Kabuto shuddered at the thought of what the blonde could do with his massive chakra stores, chakra scalpels, and enough ki to stun an elephant. His talent would have to be molded carefully if it were to be of any use to anyone…

'_He'll need care refinement though… Near perfect control to make use of those reserves, as well as a sharp mind to know when to apply it,'_ Kabuto continued as 'teaching fever' that set in on Naruto's other tutors finally settled onto him. The older genin could see the massive latent potential that was hidden away in the blonde genin, and now he was determined to add his part to the shinobi that would eventual become Hokage…

"We will get to more taijutsu in time Naruto. However first, we will be moving to the basics of poison extraction, which should be just about the level our new arrivals should be at,"

"New arrivals? Kabuto-sensei you teach other people besides me?!"

"No, but as before this is a special request from above so I can hardly refuse," Kabuto replied lightly, humored by Naruto's shock. The thinly veiled hurt, proved to Kabuto that Naruto valued his teachings, and possibly his friendship. However the nigh-possessive tone in his voice, made him really wonder was Naruto personality changing due to his incredible growth rate?

'_A question for another time..._ Naruto you'll be working along side Hinata and Chouji, both of whom I've believe you've met," Kabuto introduced, while Naruto continued to gap like flopping fish.

"Nice, Hinata-chan and Chouji are going to be learning medicine with me! But wait isn't the board exam like in two weeks? How are they going to be able to cover all the upcoming material and catch up on the stuff from two weeks ago?"

"Funny you bring that up Naruto, because most of which that you've been learning is remedial knowledge from the Academy and things both the Akimichi and Hyuuga teach their young from birth. So really they are about level with you, and will probably on have to reread a few sections from the texts I gave you to be up to speed," Kabuto explained knowing that Naruto would shaken by the revelation.

And he was, but not because his classmates were up to par, but because once again being an orphan had put him at another disadvantage.

'_It's not as if I can fault Hinata-chan or Chouji for having families, but this just seem to come easier for those who do have family's,'_ Naruto thought morosely, before banishing the depressing thought. Brooding had never been his style and never would be, that was better left to spoil Uchiha's…

'_I wonder what the bastard is up to now'_ Naruto silently voiced as he turned his attention back to the lesson at hand.

---

"… You've been cleared for training. Just don't overdue it with the chakra. We're still trying to figure out if the genjutsu will still have any lingering effects on your system," the jonin psychologist called to the raven-haired boy as he left the room.

For the past two weeks Sasuke had been meeting Yamanaka Inochi for an analysis of the effects the Uchiha Massacre played on his mind. The task was grueling, for both parties, mainly because the wounds were so raw that the dissect of the situation was like grinding salt into an open wound. As for Inochi, dealing with emotional scarred pre-teen was not seen as a fringe benefit to trying to uncover the secrets of Itachi's genjutsu.

Studying the Tsukiyomi was like watching a horror flick that hit too close to home for the blonde jonin. He'd delved into even the foulest of minds during his time as an active Konoha ninja, but what the Sharingan powered genjutsu did to the mind made his clan's techniques look like child's play.

The jutsu literally allowed the aggressor's mind to reroute all of the victim's sensual awareness, reaching as far as to control the victim's prioperception, to the genjutsu's chakra matrix; which in layman's terms meant that the user could control the victim's awareness via thought. The scariest part was however that because the user had complete control over the victim's perception, the technique was virtually unbreakable as well as completely real to the victim on a psychological level…

Suppressing a shudder at the thought of what horrors Itachi could wreak on someone, Inochi didn't wonder why it seemed like trying to rebuild Sasuke's mind was akin to piecing together a priceless vase with glue…

'_It's only a matter of time before that vase breaks once again, and the boy has to face all the pent up emotions he's storing within it,'_ Inochi considered morbidly. He just hoped that by then the boy had gained enough stability in his life that when that time came, he would be able to weather the ensuing shitstorm.

It was a dim hope…

Undisclosed Training Ground…

Tat, tat, tattatattattat…

Sasuke sped up his tempo and continued to relentlessly pound away at the padded tree. His fists ached and his muscles screamed for him to stop, but the mocking image of Itachi's blasé expression crept into his mind every time he slowed in the slightest. So the mantra of fists pounding against bark continued as Sasuke retreated into his thoughts.

'_Why? Why did he do it? What could have made him want to _measure his capacity_ against his own family'_ Sasuke thought before him a blind strike of anger he buried his fist into the tree's bark. Wrenching his bloodied fist from the charred timber, Sasuke didn't even notice he'd chakra charged his fist with his natural element but instead recall Itachi's crime with haunting accuracy. Sasuke wrung his bloodied hand in anger as the memories swept over him, each death another reminder of his mission.

Rising to his feet Sasuke forced himself back to the training post for another round, when he realized that he wasn't the only one on this training field. Cursing his carelessness, the raven-haired prodigy hurled a handful of shuriken in the direction he sensed the hidden presence. The stars flew haphazardly towards his target and struck the shadowed tree with a weak thud.

'_That's what I get for damaging my dominant arm,'_ Sasuke cursed again, vowing to improve his skills with his left arm as soon as he could a chance. However before the boy could see determine if he'd hit his target a spontaneous displacement of air alerted him that his target was now behind him…

"Fast…," the boy muttered breathlessly as he leapt away trying to put some distance between him and speedy assailant. The tactic proved futile, and Sasuke's impromptu barrel roll was cut off yet again by the shadow's speed. So now with a gnawing desperation, Sasuke clutched two kunai in a reverse grip before turning to face his…

'_Green Beast…?'_

The boy's perturbation only grew as he examined the oddity of a man before him. Sasuke could only describe the figure in front of him as a mass of muscle that was tightly bound by green spandex. That, plus the bowl haircut and block eyebrows, caused Sasuke to take a second and assess the situation.

'_He has a Konoha hiate and a Konoha issued jonin's vest, but still he could very well be hiding in a henge… Never mind no one in their right mind would henge into 'that' in order to go unnoticed. So most likely he's just sympathizer or something of that nature, which is 'just great' because now I don't whether I should be relieved or scared that this thing was following me,'_ Sasuke quipped sarcastically threw a cautious glance at the monster of a man and lowered his kunai.

"Why were you watching me?" Sasuke demanded angrily, his response tempered by the years of being stalked by rabid fangirls.

"I was merely wondering why someone would be using such a secluded training spot, _my training spot_, for something as trivial as taijutsu," the green giant replied, humoring himself at his own words.

"… It helps me relax," Sasuke finally relented, a bit ashamed that he jumped to the conclusion that the man was invading his personal space when in reality it was just the opposite.

"Ah, someone who sees the true beauty of taijutsu. Whether you realize it or not, taijutsu is an art form, one that uses the artist's body to express their intentions, emotions, and even their dreams…" That drew Sasuke's attention, as he wasn't expecting something so profound to come from someone as conspicuous the man in front of him.

"Who are you?" Sasuke finally asked, strangely feeling compelled to the giant of a man.

"I go by many names. Konoha's Azure Beast, or the bearer of the Flame of Youth; however for one such as yourself you may call me Gai-sensei,"

"Gai-sensei!? Are you saying you're actually going to teach me something?"

"Why yes my newest student, I will!" the man exclaimed, not at all deterred by Sasuke's initial hesitance.

"But why…?"

The simple question actually stopped Gai in his tracks. Turning to face the young Sharingan heir, a myriad of emotions flashed through the green man's eyes. Some discernable to the young Uchiha, other's cloaked in mystery. The ones that Sasuke in which could relate, he knew well. Envy, pride, and even a bit of longing could be seen in Gai's eyes; all of which were emotions Sasuke experience when he lived in Itachi's shadow. That alone caused a small bond to resonant between the two men, one that assured Sasuke that Gai's intentions were not fueled by pity or greed.

"… Because your taijutsu, your art, shows that you have a mission in mind; one that can take you down a many of roads. In that respect I feel as if it is my duty to help you cultivate that art into something worth striving for. However do realize that I am neither soft nor kind to those I teach, something you will soon find out, so before you accept my offer know that you will be in for the most hellish training of your life," Gai stated, his words from beginning to end holding a somber tone the belied his first impressions.

'_Hellish training eh… If I am going to take down Itachi then I will need all the experiences in hell I can get,'_ Sasuke mentally affirmed before nodding his head.

A soft smile appeared on the taijutsu master's face. The force that moved him to take Sasuke under his wing had been appeased. Now it was time to introduce him to his training partner.

And with that a miniature green beast appeared, and Sasuke's world was never the same again…

--

"Good now draw your chakra back to your palm, and with it you should collect all the poison you managed to bind," Kabuto instructed the three genin. Unsurprisingly Hinata nearly got all of the poison, seeing as her study of Jyuuken laid down the foundation to her incredible chakra control.

Of the two boys' however Kabuto didn't know which one did better. They both managed to gather about half of the poison that was filtered into the water basin; however it was the amount of chakra they used was what separated them. Having fair chakra control and a basic understanding of how most medical jutsu work, Chouji managed to complete the task while wasting only about twice the amount of chakra the task required. While on the other hand Naruto, even with his specially tune medical chakra, nearly tripled the chakra waste but with his reserves it's didn't seem to matter.

'_Naruto should have better control than that by this point. Could it be that the chakra is only malleable when used on human life, or could it be that something else is interfering with the molding process,'_ Kabuto wondered as he moved to test his theory.

Motioning for Naruto gather the rest of the poison out of the basin, Kabuto watched with a critical eye as Naruto formed the seals to the poison removing jutsu and began to apply it to the toxic water. Unlike before Naruto was able to siphon the poison from the liquid without too much difficulty.

'_That shoots the first theory… _And now for the second," Kabuto uttered aloud before taking out another vial of poison, this one label as a weak corrosive agent. Pouring the contents into purified basin Kabuto mixed the dull red colored poison into the water until the only evidence that the water was defiled was the foul smell it emanated.

"Naruto see if you purify this one," Kabuto asked, before the blonde moved to his task with a shrug.

As with the first try Naruto's chakra control was once again shot, and the effort it took to extract the deadly substance was evident on his face. So with piqued curiosity Kabuto activated the Shinryo no jutsu and inspected the extraction process via the diagnostic jutsu.

Much to the silver haired nin's surprise, Naruto was actually assimilating the poison's molecular constructs via chakra. The process wasn't unheard of seeing as a select few med-nin specialized in poison control and underwent the very same process, but the speed in which Naruto was completing it was near miraculous. The shock of the whole revelation was becoming increasingly evident in Kabuto, and after a moment it was beginning to worry the three genin.

"Ano, Kabuto-sensei, is their something wrong with Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked meekly, the worry over her idol having removed all traces of her stutter from her vernacular.

'_If you don't consider being able to take in poison like saline a problem then no… _Nothing is wrong with Naruto per se, however if my suspicions are correct then Naruto may not ever have to worrying about perfecting this exercise,"

"Say what! Then why am I doing it now?!" the blonde replied hotly clearly irked that his efforts may have been unnecessary.

"Because I didn't realize that you were able to assimilate toxins are rapid speed, speeds that far outstrip any poison specializing med-nin," Kabuto elaborated before surprise dawned on all three genins' faces.

"Really now I was wondering if that 'feeling' I was getting was normal,"

"…What feeling Naruto-kun?" Hinata voiced for the whole group upon hearing the boy's thoughts.

"Well both times I tried to extract a new poison from the basin, I felt as if I was taking some of it in. I probably should have mentioned it earlier, but it didn't seem to be a problem considering that I didn't feel any of the adverse effects," Naruto explained with a sheepish grin. The blonde's embarrassment only grew when three of his companions gave him a 'you think?' expression.

"Is there anything else you'd like to mention Naruto?"

"Well seeing as you brought it up, along with tingling sensation I was getting from the assimilation my hands are feeling a bit funny,"

"Funny how?" Kabuto pressed, wondering what else Naruto could possibly have hidden under his sleeve.

"Funny in the sense that I can make that tingling sensation anytime I want," Naruto replied vaguely, not knowing how to put what he was feeling into words.

"Show me,"

Adhering to the med nin's demand, Naruto began focusing his medical chakra into his hands. However unlike the many times he channeled the healing forces before this time something was different about his chakra. The change wasn't sinister or anything of that nature, but it definitely didn't have that soothing feeling the medicinal energies that his healing chakra normal held. No this energy felt like the raw tingle of a needle prickling the skin, but nonetheless felt as natural to the blonde as calling his healing chakra.

The result was a purplish energy that had a slightly haze like quality about it. Upon closer inspection Kabuto saw that the energy was definitely chakra, but at the same time it was being manipulated into something more.

'_Could it be…_ Naruto you're projecting the poisons your body assimilated through your chakra!" Kabuto exclaimed before activating his Shinryo no jutsu yet again. And true to his hypothesis the purple chakra was reconstructing the assimilated poisons.

"How is that possible!? I know with training you can learn to harness the various elements with chakra, but poison!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked at his hands in disbelief. It was a sentiment shared with all of his genin companions, but one after another they all confirmed that what Kabuto described was really happening. A moment of silence passed over the group as they all took a moment to think over what was happening. In a sense Naruto may have activated a bloodline limit that he alone could wield, but the fact that it made him potentially poisonous to all that was around him was the thing that was at the forefront of each of their minds.

"Naruto I know this is all new, and probably exciting to you, but I'm going to have to ask you to not tinker with that chakra until we've studied it further," Kabuto stated while pushing his glassing out of anxiety.

"Hai Kabuto-sensei I understand the dangers that this could possibly pose everyone," Naruto replied numbly trying to come to terms with another one of the rapid changes his body was undergoing.

At the moment Naruto sorely wished that Kyuubi was in her cell and not masquerading around the village as some distant relative of his. A large part of him was incredibly confused by the whole situation and wondered if Kyuubi planned for this to happen along with all the other changes his body was undergoing.

'_I guess everything comes with a price, but who would have guessed that price was toxicity?'_ Naruto humored darkly, as he unconsciously let out a bitter chuckle.

"Naruto-kun are you alright?" Hinata asked as she placed a slightly-hesitant hand on her crush's shoulder. Like Naruto, a large part of her was in turmoil over the situation. However she could see that this was the one time when Naruto could use her support and not the other way around, so seizing the opportunity Hinata extended her sentiments.

"What do you think?" Naruto replied sharply, and immediately winced at the harshness of his tone. There sweet Hinata-chan was trying to be the perfect friend and offer support, and he goes and cuts her down for trying to help.

'_If only I could go back in time and kick myself in the ass…'_ Naruto groused privately before grasping Hinata's extended hand in his own.

"I'm sorry Hinata that was uncalled for, and to answer your question no I'm not alright," Naruto amended much to the Hyuuga Heiress pleasure. The timid brunette could feel butterflies dancing in her stomach as she looked into her crush's harrowed eyes.

'_He's opening up to you, this is your chance!'_ the girl's conscience screamed at her, but for the life of her she couldn't say a word. Fortunately for her Naruto didn't notice her inner turmoil. So instead her silence was met with a grateful smile and a haunting chuckle from her blond hero.

"It's funny you know. I'm here worrying about all the strange shit that's happened to me, I mean really wondering if I may be the death of everything around me because of some out of the blue ability to construct poison!" Naruto stated loudly, the morbid joke only becoming more humorous to the boy each passing second.

"… And then there's you, the one person who actually sees me as me even when all this shit is still happening. You actually go as far to extend a hand in support, when literally you may die because, and yet and still I find a way to turn it all back on me. I don't know what's funnier, the fact that I have such great friends or the fact that I am a complete asshole them," Naruto continued on, his words causing the people around him to wince.

"Naruto-kun you're just…,"

"-Confused? Yeah, but shouldn't be an excuse, especially when someone as great as you is actually showing me that I'm not alone,"

"Y-your still being t-too hard on yourself Naruto-kun," Hinata managed to get out after Naruto's words made her acutely aware that his undivided attention was on her.

"Yeah we all get frustrated at times Naruto. My dad's told me numerous tales of how he snapped at one of his teammates on one occasion or another; and to this day they are still the best of friends," Chouji cut in before placing his own hand on Naruto's shoulder thus drawing the blonde's attention, much the relief of the near-hyperventilating Hyuuga.

"The point is though, no matter how frustrated you may be with someone, if they are truly your friends then it won't matter to them if you unintentional say something hurtful," Kabuto finished after once again pushing up his glasses. The nervous trait had solely become endearing to blonde, and with a genuine smile he accepted the older genin's words.

"Thank you, but that still doesn't change the fact that I may end up killing you all," Naruto voiced once again, his concern for his home at the forefront of his mind.

"Some reason I highly doubt you'll become a toxic biohazard overnight, my guess is that you just activate a latent bloodline limit of sorts, one that'll probably end up saving our hides one time or another,"

"I agree with Chouji-san Naruto-kun, there's no way you'd let body could unknowingly hurt us without some sort of conscious effort,"

"See have a little faith in yourself Naruto, but for the time being we'll play it safe and study this 'development' in a safe environment. Any that wraps up today's session. Makes sure to continue you're various readings, and we'll meet again tomorrow," Kabuto concluded while extending his sentiments along with the other two genin.

The three genin quickly packed their things before leaving the clearing right outside the hospital compound, all chatting merrily as they made their way to their next stops.

Once the three were gone from sight, Kabuto looked back down at Naruto's basin with a particularly interested glint in his bespectacled eyes.

'_I will need to carefully document these next few weeks with Naruto-kun,'_ Kabuto thought with earnest interest before making his way back into the hospital.

--

The remaining two weeks left in Naruto training seemingly dissolved away before the busy blonde. In those two weeks Naruto hadn't made much progress with the Rasengan, nor the Hiraishin for that matter, but to say the last few days hadn't been fruitful would be a gross understatement.

As required to his bet with Iruka, Naruto had been working diligently on three new jutsu. In a grand scale sense none of them were that spectacular, but nonetheless Naruto was immensely proud of his work. They were the first three of his soon-to-be-revived clan's new jutsu and he was antsy to give them their first real combat run.

His actual training sessions with the said instructor-Anbu were more along the mundane side. The focus of their sessions shifted away from chakra control to more along the lines of various ninjutsu theories and practices along with tips on jutsu creation. The change came with a steep learning curve that required an abundance of reading, some of which that could have been avoided if slacker blonde actually paid attention in class. However Iruka took pity on his favorite student's soul and leant him a copy of Konoha's squad leader protocol manual, which recap on most of the subjects covered in the academy.

His training with his other various senseis all kick up in intensity as well. Both Kurenai and Anko were cramming more knowledge about seals and genjutsu into him then he even imagined possible; which didn't bother him at all seeing as the influx of information just fueled his drive to succeed in those respective fields even more.

That same drive carried over to his kenjutsu training with Tenchi; and despite the several bizarre training practices, like being confined to a circle to a circle only a meter wide and forced to parrying him and the shadow clones surround him, Naruto found his reflexes and reaction time now far outstripped his old standards. Unfortunately Naruto found that he still couldn't draw his own blade, which was rapidly becoming a sore point of ire for the blonde, however Tenchi merely remarked it as a final test for him as a swordsman.

In contrast to the partial failure in the kenjutsu area, Naruto was happy to discover he wasn't becoming a walking biohazard. In fact after a series of tests, both he and Kabuto found out that his seemingly miraculous ability to absorb and create toxins was in fact something eerily similar to a combination of elemental and spatial reconstruction. With his medical chakra being like the ultimate in elemental reconstruction, Naruto's poisons were an example of spatial construction in fact he was 'remaking' the various toxins recorded in his very cells.

The development even interested the likes of Kyuubi, who after a bit of deduction, found that the origins of the technique likely resided with the breaking of the seal. Although the complete workings of the Yondaime's seal were still a mystery, from a few of its key functions it could be inferred that the Yondaime was a pragmatic man. One such function was the purifying seal that siphoned bits of Kyuubi's youki and filtered it into an advanced medical seal that stored healing chakra.

Whether it was put in because the Yondaime foresaw the village's reaction to his sacrificed offspring or because he was fearful of the world in general could be put up to debate, but upon the seal's rupturing that seal came into contact with both Kyuubi's potent youki and a life-threatening poison. From there Kyuubi figured as the seal burned coiling for his healing chakra into his system, the youki adapted to the poison at an astonishing rate thus allowing his healing system to do that the same.

Thus Shouki (Miasma), which the two blondes' had come to call the technique, was born leading to the Namikaze heir to spend many days learning to control his newfound power as well as looking to absorb as many poisons as Kabuto would let him. The older blonde however, held Naruto back from assimilating too many poisons, citing the fact that if he were to overlook his system with his board exam so close he may have to wait several months before he could take it again.

Now with only a day before his board exam Naruto was taking his 'finals' in all of his other 'classes', starting with a the combined tests of Anko, Kurenai, and Iruka…

"… Naruto this is your final test, don't hold anything back"

"Yeah brat! What 'Ruka-kun here is trying to is, don't fuck up and make it seem as though all three of us wasted a month of our time training your talentless less ass."

"Gee you sure lay it on thick Anko-sensei! It's times like these I wonder why I even bother," Naruto shot back with mock sadness.

'_Indeed…,' _Kurenai thought wryly as she massaged her sinuses in an attempt to deter _another_ migraine from forming, curtsey of Konoha residential snake mistress. It was times like these that Kurenai wondered how she ever became so close to Anko in the first place. However after catching a glimpse of Anko _playfully_ harassing Naruto, a warm smile to worm its way on the brunette's face.

"If you would Anko, let Naruto be for the moment, seeing as we still need him in one piece for his exam. After that he's all yours," Iruka joked, before Naruto turned a faux betrayed look to his favorite teacher. Iruka just turned a blind eye to his favored pupil's puppy look, before meeting Anko's delighted gaze.

'_Why do I feel as though I just put up a sign saying 'me next' around my neck,'_ Iruka wondered nervously when he realized that the appraising gaze that Anko was shooting him couldn't be described as anything short of sinful.

"Anyway, Naruto do you understand your objectives?" Kurenai interrupted once she caught the familiar eye her fellow kunoichi was shooting the Anbu class academy instructor.

"Yes. I am to engage you, Iruka, and Anko-sensei in a mock battle. During this battle I am to meet each of your passing criteria,"

"Which are?"

"Passing criteria for you Kurenai-sensei is to show competence in at least three genjutsu. As for Iruka-sensei I am to meet the requirements to our prior bet, and for Anko-sensei show proficiency in seal preparation and execution," Naruto listed off before assuming a ready stance.

Throwing a stern look to Anko that said 'you can have your fun later, now be serious', Kurenai got a childish snort in return before a familiar tingle caressed her senses…

Without warning Naruto rushed forward at the three standing jonin. Despite the initial surprise and catching all of the jonin off-balance, Anko was still able to beat him to the punch literally…

"Too slow gaki!" Anko howled before her fist came crashing into Naruto's face and through it...

"What the!?" the snake summoner started before the clone exploded into an array of light.

'_Return of the infamous flash bang bunshin. Sealless, smokeless, but not silent…Then again that would defeat the point of the 'bang' now wouldn't it,'_ Iruka remark as his eyes began to adjust to the differences in light. Giving his favorite student the benefit of the doubt, Iruka was prided by the fact that Naruto managed to master a jutsu.

"Damnit! You knew he did that didn't you 'Nai-chan?!" Anko interrogated loudly. Even after six years, the irritation of having fallen for the same trick _again_ obviously getting to her.

"Maybe,"

"Oh wipe that smug smirk off your face, and help me find that brat. I owe him an ass-kicking for that one," Anko demanded before a pit viper slithered from the sleeve of her trench coat. The sandy brown snake peeked its head out lazily before eying Anko. The woman merely sighed before tossing a senbon to her side with deft precision. A high pitched squeal was all that was needed for the viper to promptly leave its master's side and go devour its fallen prey.

'_Damn bastards, always asking for a fucking offering…_ Now that I'm done getting extorted, we can find that little brat," Anko announced just as the serpent finished swallowing the summer hare whole. Raising its head cautiously the viper looked side to side, letting its chakra enhanced detection senses guide it to the hidden blonde.

Naruto, who was hidden not too far from the area, could watch in horror as the summoned pet came slithering toward him with surprising speed. Absently noting that the snake could travel far faster than its natural counterparts, Naruto had bigger things to worry about. Namely one Mitarashi Anko firing her Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands) not more than a meter away from his face.

'_Shit!' _

Boom!

The fangs of the various serpents tore into the blonde's skull, well before its surprised visage was replaced with log.

"Kawarimi! Damn that gaki's getting good if he can do it without handseals, but then again we are his senseis right 'Nai-chan?" Anko gloated loudly only to be met by silence.

'_What no tired sigh or smart remark about my maturity,'_ Anko wondered as she turned around just in time to see her colleague's fist honing in on her face. Despite this, Anko proved that the gap between her skills and Naruto's were just too great, and with a practiced grace and fluidity the snake mistress wove through Naruto's onslaught before landing a series of serpentine strikes on the boy.

'_What's with that henge? Not only can I not sense its chakra, but it seems to be solid as well,'_ Anko recounted, remembering the cushioned feeling each of her blows met. Turning her gaze back to the downed genin, Anko watched as the disguise peeled off of the blonde without so much as a wisp of smoke or a sound, marking that he had mastered all three of the academy jutsu.

"Ready to give up brat?"

Naruto merely went to his thinking pose as if actually debating a response, face clearing mocking Anko with a 'do you have to ask?' expression. An irate tick appeared on the female's forehead, and without a second thought Anko went in to clobber some manners into her smart-ass student. Unfortunately for her she didn't take heed to the mass amount of chakra building up within the blonde nor the foxy grin plastered on his face.

"Daibakuha Bunshin (Great Explosion Clone) Dattebayo!" the Naruto clone chanted merrily before going nuclear on her ass.

With Iruka…

Both Kurenai and Iruka turned towards the blast zone after the sounds of a rattling explosion reached their ears. Kurenai cursed Anko's overzealous nature as a trace of worry for her friend clouded her head.

"Judging from the blast that was either a mild power explosion note or an exploding clone," Iruka spoke out after witnessing the explosion reach just above the surround forest's canopy line.

"Do you think…?"

"Naw, Anko may be reckless but she's undoubtedly skilled. Plus I doubt Naruto would use that technique unless he had the fullest confidence in Anko ability to escape it," Iruka reasoned with the genjutsu specialist. However before Kurenai could further voice her concerns, the tingling sensation in the back of her head returned, and red-eyed woman moved to disable the genjutsu.

"Nensogo no jutsu only works when the target is either off balance or not paying attention Naruto-kun. I thought I pounded that much into her head before," Kurenai called out before a veiled area where Naruto been hiding unraveled itself.

The said blonde wasted no time with words, immediately forming his favorite seal before two clones phased into existence beside him.

'_He even took time out to master the Kage Bunshin,'_ Iruka beamed internally before deflecting a trio of senbon with a single kunai. Falling back when the second wave came, Iruka eyed the two clones targeting him as they circled around in the treetops as he formed the seals for a Doton: Doryuheki. Instantly four earthen walls enclosed around Iruka, completely shielding him from the clones' continuous senbon spray.

Despite the continually pounding the stone walls around him were taking, Iruka took a second to reflect on how much Naruto had grown. _'He's no longer a child, and will not be treated as such,'_ the chunin thought as he found his center. Naruto had proven he could be a capable ninja, his current situation attesting to that, and now Iruka was going to measure how he measured up.

"Doton: Doutoumei (Earth Release: Earth Transparency)," Iruka mouthed before the walls around him became like a one way mirror. The scarred chunin scanned the area and found that Kurenai was no longer in sight and that Naruto duplicated himself several more times.

'_Time to cut his numbers…_Doton: Doryudan!"

The Anbu's cry signaled the omni-directional stone attack from exploding earth wall. The majority of the clones were caught off guard but a few managed to kawarimi away and avoid being destroyed by the flying shrapnel.

However as quickly as it came the storm of metal and earth died down leaving only Iruka standing in the ruined clearing. After surveying the havoc the rock projectiles wrought Iruka turned his attention to Naruto who was standing in the forest canopy above smiling his familiar foxy smile.

"I take it you like what you see?"

"Oh while I do like seeing what wonders I can create with a simple ninjutsu, what I really love is testing out some of my own ninjutsu,"

"Really now, and her I was worried that you would go a flake out on our agreement,"

"Not a chance!" Naruto shot back with a wide smile before forming the necessary handseals for his first new jutsu.

'_A tiger seal… So his first jutsu a Katon eh?'_ Iruka wondered as Naruto finished the third and final seal to his jutsu.

Slowly a sphere of perfectly contained fire filled itself in each of the blonde's hands. The process was slowly, undoubtedly hindered by the short amount of time Naruto had to work on it, but Iruka could see no really problems with the jutsu other than that.

'_Now to see what it does,'_ the academy instructor stated before falling into a ready stance. Dozens of possibilities raced throw the chunin's head, and to his surprise Naruto didn't merely use the fireballs as burning spear-tips for his punches. No, the name of the jutsu said it all.

"Katon: Bakuhagan (Fire Release: Blast Sphere)!" the blonde cried as he _threw_ the explosive ball at his sensei. Despite being cut off from the continual loop of chakra, the fiery ball didn't lose much of its power as it sailed towards the stunned chunin faster than a senbon.

However years of honing his reflexes paid off and Iruka leapt to the side of the projectile, putting just enough distance between himself and the sphere to escape the 'blast' that followed. A bright light and the smell of charred wood assaulted Iruka's senses, but neither did anything to take away from the awe Iruka held for Naruto's jutsu.

'_Such power… I can't believe Naruto managed to pack so much destructive power into such a confined space. It was nearly as powerful as an explosive tag,'_ Iruka realized upon looking at the hemispherical crater left in the jutsu's wake. Upon further analysis Iruka realized that Naruto actually managed to compress the focused might of a Katon: Tenka pumped with a huge amount of chakra into a tiny space before hurling it outward. The blast would then expand in size once the user released it of it confinement seal, thus resulting in the burnt groove Iruka saw at his feet.

"Impressive Naruto, you've definitely earned one of those jutsu I promised you. Now let's see if you can get the other two,"

"Don't worry Iruka-sensei. I rarely disappoint," the blonde fired back, ready to meet his sensei's challenge.

With Kurenai…

"Shinkeigi (Nerve Deception)," Kurenai mouthed wordlessly as the attacking clone's both smokelessly 'poofed' out of existence. Contrary to popular belief, shadow clones did not have to be touch at all in order for them to disperse. In truth any such of trauma that could overload the clone's chakra matrix was enough to disperse the fragile doppelgangers.

It was a lesson Naruto learned the hard way once he looked over the memories both of his clones' recorded as they died. Wincing at the thought of being slowly skewered hundreds of deathly sharp senbon, Naruto marveled at the effectiveness of his sensei's technique. The jutsu's molding was so complex and intricate that it actually tricked his clones into believing that they'd been hit from all sides by senbon.

'_And knowing Kurenai-sensei that's just a small sampling of what she can do with that technique,'_ Naruto grimaced as he created another batch of clones to replace the fallen lot.

'_Wait for it, wait for it…,' _Naruto chanted as he tried to time the clones' charge and Kurenai's counter attack to his own surprise. Naruto's gambit paid off and just as Kurenai moved to slash through one clone with a kunai her arm froze as if being held by a puppeteer's string.

'_Damn he must have hid a shadow clone under a Nensogo no jutsu when he summoned the others,'_ Kurenai immediately realized as she focused her chakra into her captive arm. The genjutsu binding her wavered after a precise counterstroke of chakra, just in time for the illusionist to twist out of the way of Naruto's clones.

The clones reacted to the dodge quickly, but even all the practice with Tenchi wasn't enough to save them from Kurenai's quick kunai work. Mutedly the jonin thanked a certain Sarutobi for his help in the taijutsu area, before activating another genjutsu.

"Shit genjutsu," Naruto cursed as various flower petals began clouding his vision. Kurenai had an unusual affinity with plant oriented genjutsu, saying they played well with the environment thus making it easier for them to fool the senses.

'_Yeah so dispelling it gonna be a bitch,'_ Naruto added as he tried the standard release method. Unsurprisingly the genjutsu was woven so that chakra burst would only slide around it instead of finding and unraveling the illusion. However Naruto's try didn't go unnoticed, as a melodic laughter echoed around him from all directions.

"It seems I taught you well Naruto-kun. Your Sujinijuuno jutsu (Muscle Submission Technique) caught me by surprise, and you almost managed to dispel my last genjutsu," the echo complimented. However instead of helping Naruto pinpoint Kurenai's location, the confusion only served to disguise where Kurenai was truly hidden.

'_Need to stall…_Thanks Kurenai-sensei I learned from the best," Naruto said with a smirk as he activated his favorite ninjutsu.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," the said kunoichi whispered into Naruto's ear. Her kunai was poised to his neck but Naruto wasn't worried. Seallessly replacing with a shadow clone as Kurenai moved to knock him out, the red-eyed jonin was greeted with a 'poofing' of smoke as the clone's dispersed. During the confusion Naruto flashed through the handseals of another jutsu.

'_I caught her off guard with that. Now only if I could incorporate the flash bang technique into a shadow clone, then I would have actually had time to dispel her genjutsu rather than be forced to search for her with this,'_ Naruto thought as he filed the flash-bang clone idea for another day. However true to his assessment Kurenai merely stepped back into her genjutsu and was hidden from his sight.

'_Time for a real test run…_ Kimifushi no jutsu (Joint Sensation Technique)!" Naruto whispered before various shades of gray contour lines formed in his eyesight. Grinning as he adjusted the settings of his genjutsu Naruto smiled as various hues of color replaced the bland lines, all of which forming hazy trails around him.

"You know you're right Kurenai-sensei, flattery will get you nowhere. However there is a difference in flattery and stating facts and if you being the best genjutsu user in Konoha wasn't a fact then I doubt I would have ever been able to make this technique!" Naruto proclaimed before he found a concentration of multiple scents in a nearby treetop.

'_Gotcha!'_

"Naruto-kun what are you…," Kurenai started but didn't get a chance to finish, seeing as she was being charged by over a dozen shadow clones that knew precisely where she was. Cursing silently, Kurenai didn't even have a chance to see if her genjutsu had been compromised before the clones began firing off senbon aided by several chakra charged Futon: Boufuu.

Kurenai quickly performed a shunshin and launched herself out of the needles' line of fire. Fortunately her genjutsu skills didn't falter and illusion remained intact even though she hastily released chakra into the delicate chakra molding. However in the wake of her student's new jutsu she may as well have put a neon sign around her neck, seeing as the boy followed from escape path fairly accurately.

This time more prepared for the wave of incoming clones and projectiles, Kurenai vanquished several of the doppelgangers under the guise of her illusion before retreating away from the incoming wind jutsu.

'_This kid's like a dynamo! If it weren't for his inexperience I may have been defeated already,'_ Kurenai realized with a jealous twinge. The thought of being one-upped by a genin, nonetheless her own student, stung her pride but in same instance she couldn't help but feel proud that she had a hand in helping him reach such heights.

"I better you're wondering how I am able to track you?"

"It's simple really. The Kimifushi allows me to mix senses, like for instance scent and sight…," Naruto continued on after hearing no reply. Naruto knew it was considered bad form to explain your abilities to opponents, but in this case buy time was of higher priority than sticking to codes; and it was something Kurenai realized belated once blonde zoned in on her location yet again.

'_Shit I should have kept moving as he was speaking,'_ the genjutsu mistress berated fiercely. Naruto's constant use of Futon jutsu littered the area with a multitude of scents, thoroughly disguising her own within the mix, but by appealing to her curiosity he managed to buy himself enough time to let the smells settle and isolate her scent once again.

'_A truly marvelous jutsu, but now that I know how it works I can adjust,'_ and with that Kurenai proved why she was Konoha's premier genjutsu specialist. The genjutsu she'd cast to disguise herself seduced not only sight but smell, easily tricking the mind into believing that both she and the area smelled like fresh picked flowers. However now that she knew Naruto was able to follow her because of that particular scent, fooling it would only be a matter of which handseals to use.

Once her scent completely vanished from his sights, Naruto realized it was time to switch tactics. Quickly switching the genjutsu settings to sound and sight, Naruto activated an especially powerful Futon: Uzu in the center of the battlefield, kicking a large amount of dust and debris. The swirling airs weren't powerful enough to do any harm to the hidden kunoichi, but it did provide cover for Naruto to make his escape.

Feeling obliged to follow after he fleeing student, Kurenai couldn't shake the feeling that she was being lead on like a chicken following the bread crumbs…

With Anko…

"I'm… gonna… KILL THAT BRAT!"

Even from his hiding place Naruto couldn't help but wince at the brazen declaration. The blonde supposed it was foul play to use such a dangerous technique in close quarters; but if there was one thing he knew without it doubt, it was that Anko was by far the most skilled kunoichi he knew. It wasn't a knock against Kurenai, Tenten, or any of the various kunoichi he'd come in contact with, but was the cold hard truth that if Anko fought serious against any of them they'd be picking up the pieces out of snake feces. However what Anko had in raw skill she lacked in forethought and restraint.

'_Tsk tsk Anko-sensei, your recklessness will be the death of you,'_ however justice was served to the hiding genin when the pit viper Anko summoned earlier sniffed out his location yet again.

It didn't make for the blonde to realize he was fucked when the serpent hissed something indecipherable to his ears and Anko's head perked up and turned to his direction. The snake kunoichi's eyes danced to a homicidal tune as she enveloped herself in a shunshin and closed the gap between her and her prey.

Naruto didn't have a chance to berate himself as a punch seemingly materialized itself beside his head as Anko came out of her chakra powered acceleration. Fortunately Naruto replaced himself with a hastily made shadow clone and was currently trying to put as much distance between him and the psychopath he foolish pissed off.

'_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,'_ as the mantra of choice as the blonde wove his way through the dense Konohian canopies, not even daring to look back at his pursuer. From the images his rapidly disappearing clones were sending him, Anko reverted back to some of her cruder method's of torture knowing full-an-well that the images would only spur the blonde to run faster.

Fortunately he managed to dodge Anko just long enough to reach a cluster of his own clones; unfortunately however those clones were currently engaging Iruka in an increasingly heated ninjutsu battle.

"Suiton: Suianime (Water Release: Water Animation)," a clone cried as it unveiled the second of Naruto's original jutsu. Naruto was in pure bliss when he saw his painstaking picked handseals came together in marvelous jutsu unity. Slowly a large clustering water collected before the clone user; and with a flick of the wrist, the captured liquids danced to his clone's minstrels. After a few moments of testing the jutsu responsiveness the blonde copy turned a sly smirk to the awe struck Anbu-instructor.

'_He must be floored that I was able to think up something so handy,'_ Naruto noted as the clone lashed out with its 'water Swiss army knife'. The seemingly harmless mass of water was easily dodged by the Black Opts teacher, which was probably for the best considering that at its current density and surface tension it was able to dent the nearly centaury old tree trunk behind him. After that Iruka needed no more incentive to dodge the rapidly transforming mass of water.

'_Truly this is an inspired jutsu,'_ Iruka concluded as he dodged a water whip followed by an aqua mallet in rapid succession. From the Anbu's deductions the only thing holding back the technique's transformation abilities was its user's less-than-stellar control.

'_However from the looks of it that doesn't seem to be too much of a problem,'_ the Chunin Anbu realized before one serious pissed Anko appeared on the scene.

Snakes hissing and kunai flying, Anko decimated nearly half of Naruto's current Kage Bunshin reserves before turning her attention to the nervous looking Naruto. Whether it was a clone's blatant attempt draw attention to itself or the original's cunning try at misdirection, Anko didn't care. All that matter was squeezing the blonde genin blue, and making him realize what it meant to fuck with Mitarashi Anko.

"How do you feel gaki?" the question was rhetorical seeing as the pythons constricting him were squeezing the very breath out of his lungs.

"As fresh as a daisy," Naruto managed to wheeze out as cascade of flower petals clouded the area. Tapping into Kurenai's genjutsu molding, Naruto managed to break into the scarlet eyed woman's jutsu and escape from Anko's grasp with a quick substitution jutsu disguised as an explosion of flora.

"'Nai-chan cut the fucking genjutsu!"

Anko's angry demand was met and both Kurenai and Naruto were revealed to the naked eye once again. However the Naruto revealed was in fact the one Kurenai was tailing, and the clone was sporting the same elated expression as the last clone that went Hiroshima on Anko's ass.

'_Oh no you don't,'_ the pissed snake kunoichi roared as she slapped a containment seal on the clone's forehead via a kunai. The containment seal, which isolated and bound both the fiery and concussive forces in the exploding clone, continued to sail towards the original Naruto via kunai Anko had thrown with excessive force.

Quickly the said blonde grabbed two scrolls from under his cloak and with a flash of motion unraveled them in front of himself. The first scroll merely had the symbol for water written on it while the other now held the primed containment-seal-turned-explosive-note in its center. From across the battlefield Iruka and Kurenai looked at Anko in confusion as the purple haired kunoichi slowly pieced to together what her blonde disciple was doing.

'_A prepared water scroll and an impromptu exploding note… What could you be planning brat?'_ the kunoichi wondered, before giving the okay for her comrades to charge in. Seals was always a tricky business, and it was a general rule of thumb to never charge a fuinjutsu user unless absolutely sure of the outcome.

And unfortunately Anko wasn't one hundred percent sure…

The two scrolls, now laid crossed on one another, were quickly unsealed in rapid succession. The heat of the unleashed fire was immediately dosed by pre-stored water before the delay concussion seal push the resulting steam in all directions.

'_Damn he was making a smokescreen,'_ the snake seal mistress cursed before destroying an attacking clone. Amid the confusion that result from Naruto's innovative use of seals, the said blonde took advantage of the situation in several ways; the first being the creation of his favorite doppelgangers.

However while his sensei systematically destroyed his replica army in zero visibility, Naruto watched his sensei fight with perfect sonar like vision. The gray contour lines of his perception altering genjutsu painted a visible, yet chaotic, picture of the ongoing battle. The jutsu was far from perfect and despite all the work that needed to be done to it, Naruto was still tempted to summon a shadow clone just to pat himself on the back.

'_After I finish this…_ Futon: Kirisen!" the blonde shouted as rationality won over pride, and a 'severing line' of wind chakra cut through the steamy haze and plowed through the smokescreen and clones alike.

"Doton: Doryuheki!" The scarred Anbu's favorite earthen defense stopped the wind attack cold, but not without taking serious damage of its own.

'_And that was only at half output,'_ Naruto thought smug as he looked at the deep gouge his attack had taken out of his favorite teacher's shield. It didn't take much calculation at all to realize that if he did put all his effort into the attack, the 'severing line' would have severed the heads of three of Konoha's finest.

Allowing that thought to settle in the back of his mind, Naruto released the rest of his remaining shadow clone as sensei lowered their respective guards. Not a single one of the jonin sustained a major blow of any kind, but all three were thoroughly impressed with their understudy, or in Anko's case grudging happy that her student managed to finish the test before she got a chance to get him back for his bomb stunt.

"So do I pass?"

"If you call annoying the hell out of all three of us with your twisted sense of humor and jutsu creation then yes,"

"Don't mind her Naruto-kun, Anko's just mad because you managed to get one over her," Kurenai injected after her friend's callous remark. The said kunoichi just glared dagger's at the two. Seeing that neither reacted like she wanted, Anko turned to leave, but not before grabbing a certain Anbu to pay for her dango.

"See you later Anko and Iruka-sensei… Wait Iruka what about the jutsu you promised?!" Naruto hollered as he ran after the disappearing duo. The blonde's childish reaction, one that was in sharp contrast to his tactical skills, actually managed to draw a laugh out of Kurenai.

"Never change Naruto-kun," the red-eyed woman whispered as she too disappeared from the clearing.

--

"…Two weeks and still nothing?" Naruto raged aloud as he attempted to recreate his father's legendary offensive technique. Sadly however the improvements a hundred clones could make in a day were only went so far and the Rasengan still remained incomplete.

"Patience Naruto, Konoha wasn't built in a day and the jutsu you're trying to master most certainly weren't either?" Kyuubi reminded as Naruto focused solely on the air filled balloon in his hands. True to the jutsu's description the air balloon was by all means the hardest step in mastering the Rasengan, mainly because Naruto could contain his surplus of power easily.

"I know but with after all this work I feels as though I hit a brick wall. I mean, everything else is falling into place; my genjutsu, ninjutsu, and even my medical jutsu have all improved. Do you think that this jutsu may just be impossible for me at the moment?" Naruto asked as the swirling energies in his hands died down inside its elastic casing.

"I hardly see the Rasengan as impossible. Although it did initial surprise me, I figure the whole situation is similar to the one involving that Shouki ability of yours. You just need to take it slow, and in time it will all work out," and as usual Kyuubi's rationalization made him feel better.

The mention of the poisonous abilities brought a pensive scowl to Naruto's features.

"So what you're saying is that you don't exactly why this is happening to me, and if I heard correctly your meddling youki is probably the cause of it," Naruto deadpanned as he tossed a challenging smirk up to the loafing vixen.

"Such a harsh accusation Naru-kun, I'm beginning believe that you don't trust me," Kyuubi muttered playfully as the blonde let out a string of curses in frustration.

"I told you not to call me that _Kasu-chan_ (Scum)! And as for the trust issue, it's being outside more than enough of an answer?" Naruto shot back happy that he was able to wipe the smirk off of Kyuubi's beautiful face.

"Low blow fish-paste, but I figure I can let it slide seeing as my _oh-so-generous _warden has let me off on parole,"

"For the last time it is maelstrom! Whirlpool Maelstrom, Damnit! Why on earth would any parent there child after a side order to fast food?" Naruto retorted loudly thus losing another round of verbal sparring.

"Fish-paste or Maelstrom, your name is irrelevant when considering your profession consists mainly of slinking around in the shadows, before plotting how to kill your next target,"

Naruto remained silent at that. The true world of shinobi had hit him like a ton of bricks not more than a month ago when he nearly lost his life to his supposed sensei. The once fairytale fantasy of saving princesses and becoming the loved and heroic leader of his scornful village had become forever jaded by the simple fact that he could die at a moment's notice.

That's why he trained so hard, well partially. Self-preservation was a huge motivator, but after seeing Iruka lying face down in the Uchiha crypt; and even more recently, hearing of Kyuubi's mysterious assailant, Naruto felt that becoming stronger would be the only way he could ensure his friends' safety.

The whirlwind of emotion that was racing around in Naruto's head leaked through the empathetic bond he and his ward shared. Sighing at the sudden influx of information, Kyuubi watched as Naruto began his Rasengan training anew silently thankful that her safety meant so much to him.

'_I certainly hope that this village will come to see that,'_ the Fox Mistress wished before going to do some training of her own.

--

"It's time Naruto. You know what must be done,"

That he did, but what sounded like a daunting task should have been something accomplished on the first day. His final test for Tenchi would be to merely draw his blade from its sheath, thus proving himself worthy to be a Namikaze swordsman.

'_Easier said than done…,'_ Naruto groused as he stared into the fiery finish etched into the lacquer sheath, willing his eyes to peer at the sword that had been siphoning his chakra for the almost a month. According to the master swordsmith the sword had 'fed enough' and it was time to see what it was truly made of.

Pushing his fear and doubt to the dark recesses of his mind, Naruto calmed his mind as he gripped the handle of his ninjato. His calmness of mind did little to quell the storm of emotion he was bottling deep within, so before he caved into his frustrations yet again Naruto gave the blade handle a fierce rip…

And to his surprise instead of nearly ripping his arm out of socket, _again_, his ears were greeted with a soft humming.

'_It's… singing!?'_ the cloaked blonde though in wonderment as he looked at the 'humming' blade. The cloudy pale steel glowed dimly in the sunlight filled room, but none the less beautiful in the young boy's light.

'_Weight, length, balance… This sword is perfect,'_ Naruto continued in awe as he gave the sword a more thoroughly inspection. Every inch of the blade, from its sharpness to its polish, was in peak condition; a fact that puzzled Naruto considering it hadn't been drawn in thirteen years. However before he questioned Tenchi on the oddity, his eyes were drawn to a trio of seals inscribed at the base of the ninjato's blade.

'_Fire, Wind, Water…,'_ Naruto read from top to bottom, realizing that the three elements corresponded with his own elemental alignment. Subconsciously Naruto willed a bit more of his chakra into shinobi sword, and was not only greeted by the merry 'humming' but radical change in the sword itself.

The once two and a half foot short sword, now the length of a full fledged chokuto! The daito length weapon simply oozed an explosive power that only came second to the deathly sharp aura that hung over the transformed weapon.

"Ha, now that's a weapon! The chuishi (center stone) metal actually reacted nicely to your chakra,"

Indeed it did. Of all the weapons he'd created from the said material, none of them even came close to matching the change Naruto's ninjato underwent.

'_Then again the Yondaime commissioned nearly a fortune to guarantee the ore's purity,'_ Tenchi recalled as he watched Naruto test the weapon with tentative hands.

"…But why did it react now? I've been trying for nearly a month to draw this thing out of its sheath, but every time I nearly pulled my arm out of socket in the process," Naruto said wearily, wondering how reliable the weapon would be if he couldn't draw it effectively.

"Simple, it all has to do with the material the blade is made. Chuishi is a chakra stone similar to the one's on the back of your gloves, but unlike the kazeishi that charges chakra with the wind alignment, chuishi takes on the alignment of its owner,"

"So you're saying I couldn't draw the blade because the chuishi ore couldn't draw on my element alignments," Naruto questioned, while tossing a fleeting glance back to the kanji inscribe on the base of the blade. If his assumption was true, then things were starting to make sense.

"Yes in the sense that it couldn't draw on your chakra was because of…,"

"- My control. Which has gotten a lot better recently, and so it would make sense that my chakra con be mirrored now that it is stabilized,"

"Yes, but you're also missing the fact that you were probably incredibly frustrated during the times you tried to draw the blade in the last couple of weeks,"

'_Understatement of the year…,'_ Naruto added sardonically as he recalled the nights of studying medicine, jutsu, and seals along side a pack clones. While all interesting subjects there was only so much a boy's mind could take, and even those limits were pushed to the edge once Naruto got the hours worth of feedback from his clones dispersals.

"Judging from the look on your face I can say that is a yes, and you probably already know that emotions play a great deal in the creation and control of chakra. So now that you've settled, both in body and in mind, new avenues of power have opened up to you," Tenchi concluded as he too admired the fruit of his labor.

The blade he'd spent hours toiling over thirteen years ago was now displayed in all its perfection before his eyes. However before he could consider his work truly complete he would have to administer one final test, and he a smirk he realize who the perfect proctor for that exam was...

"Tenten!" the man cried suddenly startling the blonde beside him

"Yes Dad! What was it that you needed me for…," but that was as far Tenten's question got before it was strangled by the awe of silence the girl held before Naruto's new blade. Enchanted by the weapon, Tenten summoned a kunai from a small scroll before hurling the flying dagger towards the blonde.

Clank

"What the hell was that for!" Naruto cried out, worried that such a reckless strike would damage his weapon.

"… Not even a scratch," Tenten commented from within her daze. The standard grade weapon she'd been using was now sported a deep scar in its spine, while Naruto's ninjato was as pristine as ever.

'_Just what I was thinking…,'_ Naruto added in wonderment before Tenten unraveled as much larger scroll, and without so much as a drop of blood or cloud of smoke the bun haired girl drew out the most magnificent katana he'd ever seen.

Like his own blade the curved killer dimly reflected the light shining into the dojo, its blackened watered steel looking like ripples along the blade's length. Like his ninjato, the blade hummed a resonating tune as it cut through the air only to be stopped by Naruto's sword.

"My mother told me stories about this…,"

"What?!"

"Two blades can only 'sing' when they are both crafted in the highest of caliber. Ka-san told me about the handful of battles in which her and her opponent's swords sung the most beautiful of songs for them in the heat of battle. At first I didn't believe them, but now 'Tsukiyoten' (Moonlit Night Sky) is singing! It's actually singing!!!" at Tenten's proclamation, Naruto threw a fugitive glance to Tenchi who was somewhere between being patting himself on the back and pitying the horror he just unleashed on the blonde.

"Tenchi-sensei, will it be alright for…,"

"Go ahead. Let your swords continue their song…," Tenchi added quickly, he wasn't going to let Naruto weasel his way out of this one.

So with no further preamble, Tenten charged forward once again, her darkened blade meeting Naruto's cloudy edge. The contact lasted less than a moment before both combats moved away from one another, both battling using the principles of Ryusuiken. There battle was like a rushing torrent, whether it be a switching of hands or a change in position, neither let the other get an inch.

'_At least this isn't as bad as survival training with Anko,'_ Naruto thought as muscle memory saved him from Tenten's precise sword work yet again. Remembering the torturous training session that could only be described as surviving alone in an enclosed space with the snake mistress and her pets, Naruto repressed a cold shiver when he saw the superimposed image of Anko over Tenten.

'_Tenten wouldn't become like that… Would she?'_

A small trickle of blood leaked from Naruto's nose as he imaged Tenten in a skin tight combat mesh and a trench coat-skirt combo that left little to the imagination. Unfortunately for Naruto the telltale mark of his pervert was easily noticeable by the bun haired kunoichi, who'd caught him reading segments of his favorite orange book aloud on more than one occasion.

"Ne Naruto, you wouldn't be think of anything perverted would you?"

"… Is there a correct answer to this question?" Naruto replied hesitantly, only to be answer by a kunai a mere centimeter away from neutering him. The first shot was only a herald to the storm of sharp metal to come and Naruto found himself fighting a defensive battle against Tenten's righteous anger.

'_Kunai and kenjutsu at the same time…_ This is insane!" Naruto uttered breathlessly as he disengaged from another bout of sword clashing with Tenten. Unfortunately for the blonde heir, the tanned weapon mistress could work her kenjutsu and pinpoint accuracy in a spectacular tandem. Every time he came to engage her with his kenjutsu, she would counter with her own before putting a merger distance of space between them, one that was just large enough for her to pelt him with kunai without having to worrying about any sort of jutsu in return.

Slowly but surely, the tactic was beginning to wear the blonde down. However despite his frustration Naruto realized the potency of his great-grandfather's style, which didn't merely emphasize on making the user an outstanding swordsman. In reality the Ryusuiken utilized ambidexterity and an instinctual understanding of the 'flow' of combat to allow the practitioner to seamlessly move from kenjutsu into any other facet of ninja combat.

Realizing that he was going about the battle the wrong way Naruto evaded another wave of kunai by using a sealless Kawarimi before hurling a fistful of senbon in retaliation. Tenten masked her shock by immediately countered the surprise-attack with a handful of her own projectiles, only to find the flow of the battle was now shifting in Naruto's favor.

"Futon: Boufuu," the blonde cried with a wave of the hand, thus altering the course of the flying daggers back to their master. Undeterred Tenten dodged the redirected projectile and tried to counter with her own once again, but quickly found out that Naruto hadn't released control of his wind jutsu.

'_What to do now?'_ Tenten wondered as she counted her options. _'I could try to beat him in a kenjutsu battle, but then it'll all come down to who has more stamina, me or him… _Well that isn't going to work so I guess I only have one other option," Tenten uttered under her breath before allowing a single kunai to knick her shoulder.

The cut wasn't deep, but the smarting pain bothered her all the same as she drew a single scroll hidden within her clothing, unraveling and smearing her blood along the inside all in one motion. Seeing that, Naruto regretted pausing to see if the weapon wielding girl was okay after getting cut and even more so for gawking as she prepared her technique.

'_Note to self, never let up on Tenten just because she's a girl,'_ Naruto added as a wave of weapons was summoned forth from the confinement of the scroll. First instinct wanted him to blow away all the weapons with the C-ranked ninjutsu Iruka had given him yesterday, but collateral damage it would cause made him think otherwise.

So instead Naruto fell back on his principle training in Ryusuiken and let his control flow to his kenjutsu. The change was subtle but very noticeable to the bun haired girl who watched in complete awe as her weapons were either cut asunder by the boy's blade or batted aside by his wind jutsu.

'_This can't be happening...,'_ however the admission of denial was only proven to be painful true as Naruto continued to hack and bat away he projectiles with increasing speed and fluidity. Every step he took, movement he made, and ounce of chakra he molded all fell into place as he continued to defend himself seeming out of pure instinct.

Tired and on her butt, the revelation simply shocked Tenten who just witnessed her ultimate technique, albeit which was still in development, by beaten cast aside like a used kunai.

Peering forward, Tenten noted with some satisfaction that Naruto was at least somewhat affected by his stunt. The continued reliance on Futon: Boufuu and his 'automated defense' too quite a bit out of him; however when compared to Tenten, who downed more than half of her chakra on her last attack, he was still more than fit to fight.

And it was a fact that didn't do unnoticed by the tired weapon's enthusiast…

'_I won't… _I won't lose!" the tanned kunoichi proclaimed in frustration as she felt her adrenaline surge. Rising to her feet Tenten felt everything slow down before her as her heart pumped blood wildly. Never had she felt sure power and seen in such clarity before, it felt as if there wasn't a target she couldn't hit.

And unfortunately for Naruto he was that target…

Gripping a shuriken, Tenten slung her arm forward; instinct guiding her nerve endings to add the correct rotations onto the star so that is flew an in unpredictable arc. The now curved flight of the ninja star evaded Naruto's wind jutsu and was nigh open the boy's neck before it was cut in half by his sword.

Shocked, Naruto looked at the split shuriken then back at Tenten.

'_This isn't good,'_ was the sole thought that echoed in Naruto's mind, as he took in both bulging veins along Tenten's forehead as well as the evil smile spread across her face. Instantly Naruto's body went into action, his movements guided by his ki detecting defense, but even that wasn't enough to stop the parabolic flights the bun haired girl's weapons were taking.

'_There as to be a way to stop this…,'_ Naruto wondered as dodged a kunai which path had been curved after colliding with another kunai. Naruto, who counted himself as being fairly unpredictable, was at a loss for what to do against Tenten's onslaught. It was as if the blades were possessed, but after many kunai and wind jutsu Naruto found that Tenten wasn't using wires.

'_No, she must somehow be able to read by every move to near utmost details, while at the same time, controlling the arcs of her kunai with such accuracy that they intersect where I'm going to be at a given time,'_ Naruto concluded, now more even more impressed by Tenten's technique.

'_Not to mention she's had a sudden increase in chakra that's been fueling both her newfound accuracy and prediction abilities,'_ Naruto added as he felt Tenten's chakra spike once again and her efforts made twofold.

Awkwardly Naruto continued to dodge, destroy, and deflect kunai, but as quickly as the dangers passed more took their place. Every conceivable angle, were free game for the weapon's mistress, who now laughing merrily as he flying daggers continued to bombard the blonde from all sides.

In his desperation Naruto hack at a kunai out of form and in the split instant he had another struck the margin between his handle and the crossguard of his ninjato, thus flinging the weapon from his grip.

Weaponless Naruto put his hands up in a defensive posture, waiting for the inevitable final blow.

But it never came…

Looking through the holes in his guard Naruto Tenten's form was now slumped in her father's arms. Sleeping peacefully despite the weapon clinched in her hands as well the sweat and blood on her persons.

'_She's completely spent,'_ Naruto realized before noting that he managed to outlast the weapon wielder despite his doubts.

"Tenchi-sensei… What was that?" Naruto asked as he peeled his gaze away from the exhausted girl.

"It's something my late wife possessed but never was able to fully explain. For a while we thought it was just her person reaction to stressful situations, but as she began to have them more often before finally begin able to control it we found out that she had a bloodline limit of her own," Tenchi explained with a far off look in his eyes.

"What's it called?" Naruto ventured, seeing that Tenchi was still somewhere between reality and his memories.

"…Sogerei (Sniper Spirit)"

---

Naruto wrung his hands once again as he waited in the hospital lobby. Despite the fact that he'd just taken his board exam for his medical license, the focus of his anxiety was a certain bun haired kunoichi rather than if he passed or failed.

Three hours and five hundred medical questions ago, Naruto was in Tenten ICU room diagnosing her for mild chakra exhaustion and fatigue. It was a simple exercise and one that earned him a passing grade on his practical portion of his board exam, but nonetheless the young doctor in training could help but worry over the girl's prognosis.

'_Her adrenaline readings were through the roof and her heart rate was a little over 400 beats per minute when we started the examination, and although they quickly feel back into normal parameters…_ The human body isn't meant to take that sort of stress," Naruto concluded vocally as his worry mounted. Try as he might, Naruto couldn't fight off the suspicion that the Sogerei Tenten supposedly inherited may be doing her more harm than good…

"Where is that girl? All she was supposed to do was to grab a few extra gloves and sutures from the supply room. It's been half an hour, and she's no where to be seen," a rather irate doctor voiced from across the hall

"She's probably asleep. She has been working double shiftsthree days_ straight_," the head nurse retorted. Although it was highly unprofessional, and sometimes life threatening, to be late in there profession; the middle age woman found it hard to sympathize with her colleague considering that it was he who wrote the schedules.

"Fine I'll find someone else to get it," the doctor relented, either missing or completely ignoring the nurse's eye roll.

"Hey Naruto do you…," but the doctor didn't have to finish his request, seeing as the blonde was already half way down the hall and making his way to the hospital's storage room.

The lengthy trip down to the Hospital's basement, where the storage room was located, proved to be just the distraction Naruto needed in order to take his mind off it hospitalized friend.

'_I wonder how Hinata-chan and Chouji are doing on their exams?'_ Naruto thought, not knowing whether to be worried over or thankful for the fact that got the application half of his exam done first.

However before he could put any more thought on the subject his heightened senses informed him he wasn't alone in the hospital cellar. Tensing slightly, Naruto quickly scanned his dim surrounds, cursing the fact that he'd left all his weapons back at Tenchi's house.

'_Well this is a hospital,' _Naruto rationalized as he zeroed in on the intruder.

"It's only a nurse," Naruto said aloud while breathing in relief. Internally he was thankful that the nurse in question wasn't some sort of foreign intruder, seeing as his surrounding would have limited him to only his taijutsu, genjutsu, and Kage Bunshin technique if a fight did break out.

However Naruto's relief was short-lived as the nurse didn't even acknowledge his presence, in fact after taking a closer look Naruto found that the young woman was in some sort of trance. The revelation brought Naruto right back to high alert as he tried to detect any hidden chakra signatures around him.

'_That's strange genjutsu normally dissipate once the caster has left the area,'_ Naruto thought, as worry began to sink further into his mind. If he was dealing with someone who could cast remote genjutsu, he was more than likely in way over his head.

Thinking quickly Naruto summoned a shadow clone, sans smoke and sound, with the mental order to report his discovery to the Hokage. Once the clone was out of the basement, Naruto turned his attention back onto the 'sleep-walking' nurse before reluctantly venturing after her.

The blonde didn't have to travel far for the hypnotized nurse soon came to a stop at the end of the hall.

'_Wasn't there a door there?'_ Naruto wondered suspiciously, but every attempt he made to recall if his suspicions were true or not, was met with a fuzzy memory before a blank. Fortunately the heroic tagalong got his answer when the nurse seemingly phased through the solid concrete. Summoning another shadow clone, Naruto ordered his doppelganger to do the same before steeling himself may lie on the other side of the wall.

Unfortunately nothing could prepare him for what he saw on the other side…

"Uchiha Mikoto is alive?!"

Read and Review

(1) Based off of Keysi Fighting Method (KFM) which is the same style Batman, from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, uses.

**Taishihai no jutsu** (Body Control Technique): An intermediate medical technique that is used to even the playing field for field medics when it comes to matters of close combat. By utilizing their healing energies, they can optimize their body's cellular output as well as limit the waste that is made as a by-product. This allows for them to work at a faster and stronger level, but the aftereffects of prolonged usage can be debilitating for the stress on the body incredibly high.

**Shouki** (Miasma): The ability to make poisons from his body by reverse engineering those he's already encountered, Naruto can create a misty poisonous residue from his hands as well as any tenketsu pour. However the ability has severe draw backs, the most serious being only Naruto is completely immune to it…

**Daibakuha Bunshin** (Great Explosion Clone): _A-ranked _Ninjutsu. Pick up from the Forbidden Scroll, This jutsu works in combination with the Shadow Clone Technique to create a shadow clone that will explode on command. The blast created is considerable, and could potentially kill an attacker engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

**Doton: Doutoumei** (Earth Release: Earth Transparency): _E-ranked Ninjutsu_. A simple earth ninjutsu that allows the user to see clearly through any bits of earth that is saturated with their chakra.

**Katon: Bakuhagan **(Fire Release: Blast Sphere): _Low C-ranked Ninjutsu_. By focusing chakra charged fire into the palms of his hands, Naruto is able to form a 'blast sphere' that has the power akin to a single explosive tag. However the jutsu shines in that fact that the blasts power is contained in a perfect sphere only slightly smaller than a Goukakyuu, making it far more intense that its per-prepared tag counterpart.

**Shinkeigi **(Nerve Deception): _High B-ranked Genjutsu._ Created by Yuhi Kurenai that utilizes extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and biology to send false signals from the brain to the nerves tricking them into 'thinking' they've been assaulted, coupled with an perception altering eye jutsu, the jutsu is highly effective as a taijutsu counter.

**Sujinijuu **(Muscle Submission):_Mid C-ranked Genjutsu_. By acquiring control of an enemies peripheral nervous system, the user can limit or completely constrict their victim's movements via their nervous system. Although by itself it is a fairly complex technique, it is usually integrated into other techniques, Demonic Tree Bind being one such technique, and is thus overlooked as a stand alone art. However for those who delve deep enough, a truly torturous method of combative genjutsu can be attained by mastery of this technique; for the user can push their opponent's body far beyond their limits and injury them some much as a wiggle of a finger.

**Kimifushi no jutsu **(Joint Sensation Technique): _Low C-ranked Genjutsu_. This jutsu allows the user to combine any two of their own senses to create a stronger hybridization of them both. While not all of the crosses may be as helpful as some, combinations can result in scouting abilities such as sonar (sight and sound) and scent racking (sight and smell) among other things.

**Suiton: Suianime**(Water Release: Water Animation): _Low C-ranked Ninjutsu_. This technique takes water vapor from the air and any readily available source from the surrounds and gather's into a 'water Swiss army knife'. Through a bit of imagination the user can change the shape of the water, and with more control the density and surface tension, to create a plethora of shapes.

**Futon: Kirisen **(Wind Release: Severing Line): _Low C-ranked_ _Ninjutsu_. Naruto first original wind jutsu that takes a sharpened plane of wind chakra and focuses it along the user's hand, thus turning the hand, and any arc of motion the hand follows, into a 'severing line'. At its bare minimum the jutsu is no sharper than shuriken, however because of Naruto impossibly huge reserves the technique becomes a nigh-unstoppable line of destruction that can cut through anything.

A/N: Kukuku the plot thickens! Now that is a chapter, over 20k words (again -_-, ) and a whole bunch of stuff happening in the background. Once again however I find myself not reaching the point I wanted to stop at… Well I guess it's alright considering that those changes won't come to the forefront of the fic until a few chapters later… Sorry mumbling to myself lol.

**Thoughts on Genjutsu: **As defined by Kishimoto, genjutsu is basically chakra's effect on the mind. It's not much to work with, and the lines between it and ninjutsu are a bit blurry (take the Yamanaka signature jutsu, they are ninjutsu), but I'll by working off the lines if it can be control or altered via perception or the nervous system it is genjutsu. Also as for strengths of genjutsu (which can be seen in its ranking), many genjutsu have similar effects, buts it's the complexity of its molding that separates them.

Take the Nensogo genjutsu for example. I can make someone blind, deaf, or dumb (as well as some other things), but since it is such a simple genjutsu all the victim has to do is use a 'Kai' release and it is dispelled. So for a jutsu like that it be effect it would be better if the user made it so the genjutsu's effects weren't as obvious so that the victim will fall prey to its effects longer. This however is in exact contrast to strong illusions like Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer of Darkness) which does the same thing but is so overpowering that it cannot be broken with a simple 'Kai'.

**About Power Levels:** To ward off any potential Mary-sue accusations, Naruto is still very much human. Despite his new additions he hasn't really advanced far in any of his many disciplines. In a sense Naruto made himself into a sort of generalist (with a slight inclination to ninjutsu as well as weakness in taijutsu), which in many cases is good because it gives him a variety of choices when it comes to combat. However as it will be seen in upcoming chapters, the famed blonde still has a long way to go and his skills in each area are high genin level at best (putting him somewhere between mid and high chunin that is seriously lacking in experience).

However truth be told I am going to jack up the power levels of almost every character in the story at least one time or another, just to keep the playing field fair. Some may surprise you, others you may have seen a mile away, but just know its all for bettering of the plot so all flames BEGONE!

**Beta Needed: **I am currently at an unknown junction with my current beta, so if anyone would like to offer their services, the gesture would be most appreciated. However due note that I like to stay in contact with my beta, both in and out of the editing process, so instant messaging is a most. As for the specifics on how I like the process done, I will get to that if there are any applicants. Thank you for your time.

Now before I go I would like to say, as always, its been a pleasure and till next time…

Black Saint

02/14/09


	8. More Than Just Words

Interesting thing these recent chapters have been… For a second I was worried that a few of my personal ideas would become canon before I revealed them, and would thus render them all unless to me. Thank God for Kishi and his seemingly illogical plot development lol. Seriously, however Danzo with Lord knows how many Sharingan. My first question "Why?" Which was then tactfully followed up the statement "Ewwwwwwwwwwww".

Second I'm rather surprise no one spotted the Wanted reference in Tenten's powers. Oh well, hopefully when the time comes and its full extent is reveal someone will notice who (or what lol) it will take after.

Regardless I'd like to thank every for reading, especially those who leave their thoughts, comments, and concerns in reviews. It all means so much to me. Finally (before we get on the actual story) I'd like to say I've had a few ideas about the direction of the harem and would like to see what the viewer consensus thought. Basically it will end up going one of two ways: it being reduced to just Naruto/FemKyuubi, with each of the current females maturing in someway that leads the to find other people, or it being reduce to Naruto/FemKyuubi/Hinata, on account that I've already set in motion the things that will eventually get Naruto and Hinata together.

Personally, if I decide on the former, I think all three new side couples are rather unique and aren't often done. Although truthfully I am very partial to the later, considering things have already been set in motion, which means less work for me. However I just wanted to give a heads up now so that later down the road if the changes do take place I won't get a rather peeved review of how a wasted someone's time and how those hours are something they can never reclaim (true facts, its happened before).

Anyway onwards to glory!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

* * *

Chapter Eight: More Than Just Words

* * *

"…Miko-chan!" the Naruto clone cried mid-sentence adding even more confusion to the already befuddling tale.

"Naruto could you kindly inform me on what the hell is so important!" the Hokage said in irritated voice. Despite his grandfatherly appearance and near infinite patience interrupting Sarutobi Hiruzen's Icha Icha time was a sure way to earn his ire.

"Miko-chan is alive, she's in the hospital basement!" Naruto shouted with his arms waving in a comical fashion.

"Naruto… who is Miko-chan?" Hiruzen asked with a tired voice. Now to be fair, the Hokage position was a rather busy one and although Sarutobi made it a point to routinely check up on Naruto he couldn't by any means know the joke nickname Naruto had thought up for the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan.

"You know Sasuke's mom, Uchiha Mikoto," the clone uttered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world before dispersing itself.

All the Hokage could do was look on in shock. Dozens of possible scenarios raced across his mind before finally, with a tired sigh; he realized that only one was sure to come from this development.

"A whole lot of paperwork…"

* * *

'_The waning of twilight is the best part of the day,' Mikoto decided as she finished washing the last of the dishes from the night's meal. It seemed as though all the hustle of the day finally began to settle and one could truly in joy the small things in life. Which for the matriarch of the clan was nurturing her family._

'_Fugaku, Itachi, Sasuke…'_ _Mikoto frowned a bit at the thought. Her youngest Sasuke missed dinner; an oddity considering how much he sought a look of approval in his father's eyes. Over the years that ambition waned as report after report confirmed that her youngest would indeed be the number one rookie in his graduating class, but her motherly instinct assured her that her youngest still strived to make his father proud. _

_Their father, her husband, Fugaku was a proud man. He was a driven man as well, and both of which were traits that she loved about him but sadly even after seventeen year of marriage she still could bring herself to say she wasn't in love with the man. It wasn't his fault really; the Council arranged their marriage just as it did every other marriage between the Uchiha Head and Lady. The strongest male and female bearers of the Sharingan were brought together so that their children may have a greater chance of acquiring that same strength. It was an ancient tradition that her paternal great grandmother before her shared in, and one that her eldest was likely to share as well. _

_Itachi, her eldest, was without a doubt the greatest prodigy to grace the Uchiha since the birth and passing of Uchiha Madara. Staring into the dark night, Mikoto couldn't help but draw a parallel between her prestigious son's eyes and the lightless Konoha sky. Part of her wanted to right it off as her baby was finally growing up, and undoubtedly he would become harder to read. However that part of her was silenced whenever she looked into her son's eyes and saw nothing. No recognition, no acknowledgement, not even a hint of warmth; it were times like those when could mistake the boy's eyes for the abyss, ever gazing and all consuming._

'_No Itachi is just growing up, and with the stress of being an Anbu no wonder he looks so haunted,' Mikoto tried to convince herself as she put the last of the dishes away. Scanning the area for any more mess, the dark haired beauty was satisfied to find that everything was in order and the last of the day's chores were complete. _

_Making her way to her quarters, Mikoto hummed a light tune as she enjoyed the rare silence that had fallen over the compound. Paying little heed to the strange phenomenon, the Uchiha Lady assumed Fugaku was holding another one of his 'secret meetings'._

'_Hopefully Fugaku could talk some sense into those old fools,' Mikoto thought bitterly as she recalled the ramblings of the Uchiha Council. _

'_The Hokage is a weak-hearted fool! The Uchiha would lead Konoha into an era of immeasurable greatness!' the woman thought, recalling some of the more passionate statements made during the meetings. The whole procession left a bitter taste in her mouth, and not for the first time she wondered if her Clan's hubris may have finally reached its peak. _

'_Betrayal, War, Revenge…' _

_Mikoto knew those would be the consequences, if the Elders' plans were to come to fruition. She'd weathered all three numerous times, and upon resting her mantle as Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress she swore she would never let her children endure the same hardships she'd gone through. _

_Sensing her husband's presence, Mikoto entered her bedroom determined to see that this nonsense be resolved once and for all. _

"_Fugaku we need to… Itachi!"_

"_Okaa-san!" _

_Mikoto entered the room just as Itachi ran his blade through his father's chest, severing the heart in one blow. The sight was so surreal her mind didn't want to register it as truth; however her son's cry, which was nigh above a whisper, was riddled so intensely with regret that it all but confirmed to her that what she was seeing was not a dream. _

_Attacking on instinct the Uchiha Lady flew to her Lord, eyes blazing red as her hands blurred into complex signs each step of the way. Itachi senses were immediately assaulted by a confusing plethora of effects: sights inverted, sounds and smells amplified, and his nerves screamed as if they'd been set ablaze. It became frighteningly apparent that even after nearly thirteen years of inactive duty one could see why Mikoto was once known as Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress, however in that time her skills dulled and what was once her zenith was now eclipsed by her son. _

"_Okaa-san I really wish it could have been different," Itachi whispered bitterly as he impaled his blade through his mother. The woman could only stare on in shock as Itachi's blade lodge in her chest, cleanly severing her spine and sealing her Seimon (Life Gate) (1) with it. _

_Releasing a bloodied cough Mikoto made eye contact with her oldest once more to find that his Sharingan had indeed taken the next step and was now configured into the shape of the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan. A wave of saddest swept through her frame, as the results of Shisui's death all those years ago manifested itself. _

"_Okaa-san you are now in the world of my Tsukuyomi (Moon Reader) (2). You will now… sleep, perchance dream (*), until your wounds are healed," the stoic Uchiha uttered softly, and soon after Mikoto suddenly found her eyelids to be incredibly heavy._

_Reaching forth Mikoto tried to summon the strength to call out her eldest's name, but was cut off when his blade slid cleanly out of her chest and her world contorted violently…_

"ITACHI!"

"Shit's she waking up,"

"At this rate she'll bleed out if we don't calm her down!"

"Damnit we need that sedative NOW!"

And Mikoto collapsed yet again…

* * *

Beep, beep, beep…

The steady rhythm of the EKG machine was the first thing Mikoto noticed as she roused from her slumber. The second thing was that she no longer in the Uchiha Complex fighting for her life, fighting so that her clan may live, so that Sasuke may live…

"Sasuke…" the woman murmured as her eyes fluttered open.

"Easy Okaa-san. Everything is alright, your safe, Itachi's gone…" Sasuke whispered gently, his hand quickly finding his mother's in a reassuring gesture. Inwardly Sasuke was torn between elation and anger, elation for getting his mother back and anger at Itachi for rendering her in this condition.

"Sasuke is right Miko-chan, most of your wounds may be healed however your body is still incredibly weak from the coma," Naruto cut in, drawing Mikoto's attention away from her son and to the rest of the occupants in the room.

Beyond Sasuke stood Naruto, who was notably taller and leaner than before, face full of worry. To the blonde's side stood the Hokage, his mouth drawn into a thin line stating his displeasure for the situation at hand. And last stood Maito Gai, dressed in his familiar green jumpsuit but his eyes bearing an uncharacteristically intense gaze that locked unwaveringly with the injured woman. Mikoto surprise was evident, but before she could question his presence the taijutsu master spoke out.

"I've been minding young Sasuke here, ever since he was released from therapy. His anger was great and I hoped that my teachings would channel his rage into a constructive outlet…" Gai offered in an even, if slightly hesitant, voice.

Placing a calloused hand atop the young Uchiha Heir's head, Gai never broke eye contact with Mikoto despite Sasuke's growing irritation with the man. While not particularly pleased with his sensei for revealing his personal burden, Sasuke noted a distinct change in the man's usual eccentric antics. Something was definitely bothering the man…

Shooting a cursory glance towards his mother, Sasuke noted that there was something off about her presence as well. It was as if her usual serene air was thrown off, but Sasuke rationalize how couldn't it be? She'd just awoken from a month long coma that her oldest placed her in after trying to kill her. However Sasuke's murderous thoughts were thrown off by his mother's response.

"Well then you have my thanks Maito-san, is there anything that the Uchiha Clan can do to repay you?" Mikoto asked in a controlled, neutral voice.

"No Uchiha-san, although I do ask that I be allowed to continue my training with young Sasuke here. He has shown much progress in these few weeks and I think that his training with me has helped him better channel his emotions,"

"As long as Sasuke has no objection's then yes, the Uchiha Clan would be honored to have a master such as yourself instruct one of our own,"

"Thank you Uchiha-san, may your recovery be swift and youthful," Gai replied with his usual gusto departing, much to the displeasure of his student. Smiling at the duo's antics, Mikoto's expression changed subtly when the Hokage dismissed her son and former charge.

"It will only be a few moments young ones. Uchiha-san and I have much to discuss about the events that have transpired," the Hokage said in his most sagely, grandfather-like voice. The two left with little protest, both having an acute understanding the situation and the level of severity it brought upon the village.

Once gone the Hokage's grandfatherly expression left with them, and in its place was the grim mask of the famed Professor of the Leaf. Too many things had been left in shambles in face of the Massacre's fallout: the village's 'standing army' was in pieces, the orphanages were overrun with young traumatized wards, and an internal faction executed an act of genocide without _his_ approval. Hiruzen could feel his control over the village slipping, but with Mikoto here he planned to remedy that situation.

"Uchiha-san I have a proposition for you…" the Hokage began, the gears of his genius already beginning to churn.

* * *

"Listen Dobe, I don't know how much you know about what happened but realize this. The Itachi that you knew, that I knew, was a lie; one that was made up as a cover for a heartless murderer. A murderer I intend to kill myself," Sasuke muttered ominously.

Naruto bit back his initial response, realizing that it wouldn't be prudent to tell someone as unstable as Sasuke that the village's higher-ups secretly branded his clan as traitors. Or that the Hokage's advisors may have had a hand in the Itachi's mission to execute his kinsmen. It was all speculation, but from what Naruto read from mission report there wasn't much a chance Itachi may have went off the deep end.

Moving back to the situation at hand, Naruto realized a subtle touch was required. Otherwise he may end up pushing Sasuke over the edge.

"Okay, but do you really think that Itachi could really act _that_ well for all those years?" Naruto countered in his usual voice. Sasuke was taken aback. He'd expected a grudging acceptance or possibly a plea to assist him in his quest, but he certainly wasn't expecting Naruto to defend his brother especially in such a casual way.

"Yes I do. I saw him do it with my own eyes," Sasuke retorted darkly.

'_Forgot he witnessed the massacre through that genjutsu power Itachi acquired,'_ Naruto remembered, kicking himself for being so careless.

"I know but he is a ninja, one of the best according to world…"

"-Are you saying that I won't be able to kill him!" Sasuke cut in angrily attracting the attention of some ongoing hospital staff. Sending a reassuring glance to one of the particularly perturbed nurses, Naruto shooed a furious Sasuke into a more private location.

"Look I know what your feeling right now but you can't go around yelling at the top of your lungs..."

"-How could you possibly understand what I'm..."

"-Because I was there that _night_," Naruto said while slamming the errant Uchiha against the wall. Realizing that he used a bit more force than necessary, Naruto backed away from Sasuke with his hands up as a non-aggressive gesture.

Seeing that Sasuke settled down as well, part because he was curious and part because he realized that acting psychotic after your brother murdered nearly all of his family didn't send a good message.

"I had been tricked… earlier in the evening by Mizuki, who might I add was a _traitor_, and wound up hiding in the Uchiha Library. After stumbling upon some hidden clan catacomb Mizuki managed to catch up to me, attack me, and nearly kill me as well as Iruka-sensei before some complications… arose," Naruto uttered.

Sasuke listened intently to Naruto's tale, surprised that some much happened to the blonde as well, and from what he could tell from Naruto's pauses and changes in inflection much more happened as well.

"Interesting story, but what does that have to do with my situation?" Sasuke _whispered_ fiercely.

'_Good he's learning discretion…_ Mizuki's autopsy showed that there were traced amounts of foreign chakra still circulating in his frontal lobe,"

"So?"

Naruto resisted slapping his forehead. _'Not everyone is dual trained as a med-nin and genjutsu specialist,'_ the blonde reminded himself before simplifying his assertion.

"The residual chakra indicates an advanced genjutsu, and the configuration of the chakra implies that it was a _Uchiha_ who cast the genjutsu," that got Sasuke's attention.

"So it could mean Itachi was the one that tried to kill you by hypnotizing someone else. I wouldn't be surprised considering how much time you spent at the complex,"

"Then why would he leave you alive, or me for that matter? Why would he spare all of the children in the complex, and your mother if he were just a heartless killer? I'm sure if he wanted to, he could have easily killed us with the rest of the clan lost that night," Naruto declared as he leveled a hard look right into Sasuke's eyes.

"To measure his capacity…,"

"What was that?" Naruto asked, even with enhanced senses he couldn't completely make out Sasuke's mumble.

"He told me, after forcing me to watch everyone's deaths over. and over. and over again, that he did all of this to measure his own capacity and if I wanted to revenge I should run, and hide, and cling to life so that one day I might hate him enough to kill him," Sasuke ground out, and with each passing statement his anger and sorrow grew to near palatable levels.

"Bullshit,"

"What did you say?" Sasuke asked incredulously nearly lunging at the blonde in blind rage.

"I said bullshit. I refuse to believe Itachi would kill his family, throw the village into disarray, and mentally scar you - of all people - just to _measure his capacity_," Naruto argued back mockingly.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and faster than Naruto's defenses could follow Sasuke decked him. The avenger's fist hurt like hell but Naruto's pride wouldn't let him fall, so instead he turned a hardened glare onto the Uchiha survivor and continued on with his reasoning.

"I know Itachi. I've known him for the past six years and if there's one thing I can tell you, it's that Itachi hated killing despite how adept he was at it but… he would do it to protect his home and the things he cherished. So when you tell me that he murdered everyone he knew and loved just to measure his capacity, I'll call bullshit every. single. time."

Naruto didn't even bother to dodge Sasuke second punch. While the first carried all his raw anger and by default nearly knocked him out cold, the second was only filled with confusion and doubt, which despite smarting a little didn't do much to the blonde.

"So what do I do? Forget this ever happened?" by the second question Sasuke was shouting again, fortunately only Naruto was around to hear him.

"No, I'm saying there's more to this than meets the eye and the only person with all the answers is Itachi. So instead of focusing solely on killing him, _we_ should focus on tracking him and finding out what really happened that night,"

"And what if what I said was true?" Sasuke asked in a quiet, and equally hesitant, voice.

After a deep breath Naruto came to the realization that he wouldn't be able to convince Sasuke with just words. He would need to bring solid evidence that contradicted Itachi's perceived motives before Sasuke accept his brother's innocence.

Evidence, which was unfortunately, too classified for Sasuke's ears…

'_If I want to place any doubt in his mind I'll need to take this too a whole 'nother level,'_ the blonde mused as thoughts of classified data swirled through his head.

"Sasuke let me ask you a question. What is the one greatest tragedy in Konoha's history, and hint it isn't what happened a month ago?" Naruto asked in an eerily quiet voice.

Thinking that Naruto was somehow mocking him Sasuke's face contorted with rage.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sasuke retorted angrily.

"Just answer it," Naruto persisted, this shooting the Uchiha a look of untold importance.

"The Kyuubi Attack," Sasuke grumbled angrily, realizing that even with his biased, over more than ten times the amount of people died in that single, terrible night than his brother's culling of his own clan.

"Got it in one. Yes, without a doubt the Kyuubi's Attack is Konoha's single greatest tragedy. Nearly every survivor lost someone important to them,"

"So the Kyuubi is dead! It's not like it's still alive, and they're losses haven't been avenged by the Fourth!"

"She, not it," Naruto corrected automatically only to damn near kick himself when Sasuke raised a curious eyebrow.

"However as for your comment. True, that would be very true, if it was in the Yondaime's ability to kill the best,"

"How-"

"Let me tell you a story Sasuke, one that I can assure you will answer all of your questions when its finished," Naruto offered with another look of unknown importance, one that convinced Sasuke to comply despite it going against his initial judgment.

"On the very night of Konoha's greatest tragedy a child was born; and like all children this child was weak, feeble, fresh out of his mother's womb. However unlike most children, this child wouldn't be coddled and doted by his loving parents because unfortunately a giant fox was destroying everything they loved or would grow to love…" Naruto began, garnering an annoyed, but otherwise curious, look from his companion. Undaunted Naruto continued with his tale.

"The child's father, the Yondaime himself, faced the beast with his child in hand so that the great demon Kyuubi would be _**sealed**_ within the child's forming chakra coils. For you see with creatures of such strength as Kyuubi they're impossible to kill, not while she can perpetuate chakra to nearly an infinite amount. No the only way to defeat her would be to seal her away, which the Yondaime did at the cost of his life,"

Naruto paused which, to his surprised, caused Sasuke to lean forward in anticipation of his next words. Smirking slightly, the blonde boy made eye contact with the dark haired heir before lifting up his shirt. Shocked and slightly embarrassed by the blonde's antics Sasuke was about to respond angrily when he noticed all the humor drained from the blonde's face.

"So seal her in the child he did, leaving this world with the only wish that his child would be seen as a hero and that he would be protected by the village he loved. However not only did that wish go unheard, but the child's mother also passed away in the Kyuubi's attack as well. This left that young child to grow up _alone_ in a village where he was a continual reminder of all that was lost, while at the same time was the literal embodiment of the being that had done so," Naruto continued, and with each word he channeled more and more of his chakra until the remnants of the seal could be seen on his bare stomach.

Sasuke looked on in horror as he studied the ancient symbols with morbid fascination. Before his very eyes was the seal, the prison, of the greatest monster ever; or so he'd been told…

'_Well that's story for another time,'_ Naruto humored drily, wondering how counterintuitive it would be to tell Sasuke that Kyuubi wasn't as evil as he'd made her out to be and that the reason she came was to kill his clan who happened to be her own children.

Reigning in a shaky hand Sasuke resisted the urge to touch the seal, deeming the action too invasive of the other male's space. So instead he decided to ask the most pressing question on his mind.

"Have you met it?"

"Yes, I've met _her_," Naruto corrected once again.

"How was it?" the boy questioned further, wondering how meeting the leader of the Biju would stack up to his encounter with Itachi.

"Honestly its hard to explain, but if I had to sum it up in two words they'd be amazing and terrifying," Naruto answer, unknowingly matching Sasuke's description of Itachi perfectly.

Sasuke grunted but otherwise remained pensive. Slowly he came to realize that if anyone understood him it was Naruto. He may not have been a brother to Itachi, but his years with the Uchiha formed a link almost as strong as his own with his brother. Also there was also the glaring fact that much of the village saw only the monster in Naruto.

'_To them he is their Itachi…_'

A moment passed after that realization, and with ever passing second the high tension seemed to fade away. After a long moment Sasuke, surprisingly, was the one to break the silence with a laugh of all things? It started off small, like a chortle to an inside joke before growing into full-grown laughter.

'_What the hell?' _Naruto thought apprehensively, wondering if the truth may have been too much for the young Uchiha.

Staring on in confusion Naruto hesitantly made eye contact with the seemingly mad Uchiha. However to his surprise, Sasuke's eyes didn't hold the telltale gleam of madness but instead carried an air of utmost clarity within them.

"You're the only one that gets it. You, the Dobe, are the only one that gets it!" Sasuke uttered between chuckles, now thoroughly confusing the blonde.

"Sasuke what are you-"

"Naruto you understand more than anyone else how I felt; about my mother, about my father, about my brother. For the longest time I was furious at you, because of that…" Sasuke admitted, much to the shock of his blonde counterpart.

"Sasuke I-,"

"However after all of this: losing my parents and brother, getting back my mother, listening to your story... I couldn't help but feel as if I've found a brother in you,"

Naruto was speechless. A brother? The concept was so foreign to Naruto, he honestly didn't know how to react.

'_Maybe this is how it would have felt had my own brother lived…'_ Naruto absently figured, before leveling his gaze at Sasuke once again. The boy was in stiff, somewhat guarded stance, as if he was nervous about Naruto rejecting the idea of him being like a brother.

"Feeling's mutual, but don't expect me to be your best friend," Naruto quipped with a smile.

"Shut up Dobe," Sasuke returned hesitantly, before the two left the hospital in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"-And that's it for class, have a good break!" Sakura exclaimed earnestly.

Over the past month Sakura was ordered to replace Mizuki as the assistant instructor for the Academy's summer class. The reasoning was simple; Sakura had gotten exemplary marks every year of her education, and with the current disarray of both her team and the village as a whole using her to teach a class would save both time and manpower.

However what she thought was going to be an easy job turned out to be a massive headache when found out that she'd be teaching the struggling students; which translated as a snail paced progress through each lesson and an increasing level of irritation for the girl.

Silently Sakura let out a breath of relief, the month of teaching annoying little brats was finally over! In the wake of her accomplishment Sakura had newfound respect for Iruka, because what first started off as a prestigious, personal request from the Hokage himself became an intense battle of wills with a failing bunch of would-be shinobi.

The first year academy students shuffled off quickly, happy that classes were finally over and that summer was beginning. Noting that Konohamaru was one of the last to leave, Sakura became wary of another prank.

Gathering her reading material Sakura was proud to say she finished the numerous texts, on top of her duties at the academy, and made her way to the door after making certain that Konohamaru didn't leave any surprises for the janitorial staff.

The boy was simply a menace! Who would have thought the Hokage's grandson could be so childish, so annoying, so Naruto-like. Growling a bit at the name, Sakura was too irritated with aforementioned boy to realize it wasn't until after she insulted him in front of Konohamaru that the pranks started.

Or that the boy set up a trip wire as he left.

*Slip* THUD

Various books, scrolls, and notes flew off in all directions while a string of unlady like curses filled the air. Painstakingly Sakura climbed to her feet and began to collect her scattered supplies, punctuating each step with a promise of pain for the young Sarutobi.

"God. Damn. Konoha. Maru. When. I. Get. Hold. Of. Him. I'll…,"

However as Sakura reached for the last of her fallen notes a pale, bandaged hand beat her to it. Following the appendage up to its owner's face, Sakura was shocked to find that Sasuke was the one holding the stray paper. Sakura stared unabashed at the dark haired teen, noting that his normally stoic features were marred by a thoughtful scowl.

'_Uchiha Massacre…_ Sakura where did you get this?" Sasuke demanded in an obviously strained voice.

"Sasuke I-I-I can explain…"

"-Sasuke quit being a bastard, those have been all over the village. The Hokage released an official statement not too long ago, and Sakura here probably got one soon after," Naruto cut in stopping Sakura's imminent fan girl meltdown.

"Don't talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" Sakura cried, swinging a fist at the blonde's head out of habit. Much to her surprise, the blonde caught the blow just inches before hitting his face.

"Temper temper Sakura, you'll never convince Sasuke here that you're the lady of his dreams if all you do is act like a gorilla when he's around," Naruto taunted as a mischievous smile played on his features.

"NA-RU-TO!" the pinkette roared her eyes flashing dangerously as she cocked back another haymaker. Naruto's body reacted to the girl's ki, his head automatically weaving by Sakura's fist without so much as a thought, surprising the girl once again.

"Now now Sakura it wouldn't do you case any good if your went about proving my point, however before you attempt to pummel me again just know Sasuke's been waiting to give you back your scroll for a while now," Naruto chimed happily, taking playful delight in seeing Sakura torn between harming him and turning her attention back to Sasuke.

The latter won out and Sakura quickly returned her attentions back to the dark haired survivor, much to the preteen's displeasure and Naruto's amusement.

Grudgingly Sasuke complied with Naruto's statement and handed the scroll back to the girl, who accepted it with a sincere apology, before heading to his usual seat without another word.

Not taking her crush's dismissal to heart Sakura followed after the boy, but not before panning her vision to the side and fully taking in Naruto's appearance for the first time.

Instead of seeing the usual tuff of annoyingly bright blonde hair, Sakura found herself staring dead into the center of Naruto's chest. Gone was the irritating neon orange and blue and in its place was a stylish burnt orange and black jumpsuit with an ominous –dare she say cool- cloak that hung from the blonde's broadened shoulders and ended just above his ankles. Noting the black hilt and crossguard peeking above boy's right shoulder, Sakura vaguely wondered if Chouji's rant about Naruto becoming a weapon master was true.

'_Hell, him dressing normally is almost too much to take in,'_ Sakura joked, giving Naruto one last appraising look before stalking off with an indignant huff.

'_First she's undressing me with her eyes then she walks away angry. Sakura's definitely a strange one,'_ Naruto concluded with a smile before moving to his seat as well.

So the time went by leaving the three preteens' stuck in the over familiar classroom for near remainder of the day.

Finding no good reason to talk to either of his future teammates, Naruto merely sat in silence while reflecting over the past month. At first his silence went unnoticed by his teammates, seeing as Sakura was trying to engaged Sasuke in some sort of conversation while the boy did his best to ignore the girl in favor staring out the window.

Surprisingly Sakura's patience for Sasuke was not tireless and after thirty minutes of one-sided conversing the pinked haired kunoichi to be turned her attention back to her seeming sleeping teammate. However upon further inspection she found that her supposedly Dead-Last teammate was mediating.

'_When did he learn that!'_ Sakura thought in disbelief. However before her very eyes all the telltale signs mediate were there: slowed and evened breathing, inactivity of chakra, and dissociation from reality.

Disbelievingly Sakura stared on for several more moments before a hushed voiced whispered something to her from behind.

"You know it's very rude to stare,"

Sakura nearly hit the roof.

Standing in the middle of the room was a silver haired man dressed in the standard shinobi garbed with a chunin flak jacket, headband covering his left eye, and a conspicuous orange book clutched in his hand. His presence seemed so outlandish that it was a wonder he was able to sneak in without any of the genin-to-be noticing.

"Yo," the man greeted the three with a casual wave.

"Who the hell are you?" Sakura shouted from her new seat right under Sasuke, much to the boy's displeasure. In spite of that however, Sasuke found himself agreeing with Sakura, curiously wondering how the man managed to slip without anyone noticing.

"It's been a long time Inu-san," Naruto chimed in after suddenly waking from trance. Recalling the familiar chakra signature Naruto couldn't help but smile, his 'guardian angel' was back.

Unsurprisingly the man didn't so much as flinch, however internal he was a bit surprised the boy was able to recognize him so readily.

"I have no idea what your talking about," the newly-dubbed Inu stated, a fugitive smile forming behind his mask. Naruto mirrored his smile, recognizing the need for discretion. One couldn't go around revealing the former Anbu Commander's identity and still expect to be a ninja.

"Oh my mistake then, I was almost sure I recognized you," Naruto added merrily, subtly hinting to his own abilities, but nonetheless amused by the confused looks his teammates were giving him.

The two looked back and forth between their teammate and the intruder wondering what sort of conversation they were being excluded from, but unfortunately couldn't make heads or tails of the conversation. The man found himself chuckling inwardly as well; the blonde was really shaping up to be the most surprising ninja ever.

'_Doubt he's learned the finer points of tracker yet… Possibly a result of that chakra and ki suppressing technique he used all those years ago,'_ Inu speculated as he toyed with the idea of teaching the blonde tracking. It was a demanding field, but if one mastered it the benefits that came with being a sensor type were well worth the work.

'_And judging from his records he'll probably master this along with everything else he's learning,'_ the man added before snapping his book closed.

"Team Seven I am your new sensei Hatake Kakashi, and as far as first impressions go I think I may like you three," the jonin stated as he disappeared in a shunshin, but not before beckoning the three to follow him to the rooftop.

Obediently the genin trekked toward the rooftop while an uneasy silence hung in the air. Casting a fugitive glance onto Naruto, Sakura took a deep breath before getting his attention.

"Naruto…kun," the girl stumbled over the words, debating whether or not to add the honorific.

That got Naruto's attention.

"Yes?" the blonde replied with a raised eyebrow.

"How do you know Inu… I mean Kakashi-sensei so well?"

To his credit Naruto didn't immediately burst into laughter; but at the same time seeing the girl who once scorned the very idea of talking to him trying to butter him up so that he'd spill his secrets was quite amusing.

"Now that's not very polite Sakura. You heard Kakashi-sensei say we haven't met before," Naruto responded with a cluck of his tongue. Technically he was telling the truth considering that one's Anbu persona was an entirely different entity than one's shinobi or civilian egos.

"Naruto I'm not stupid! I know you know that there's more to the story than your telling. Now tell me what's going on!" the pinkette demanded, failing to see how much of Ino's bossy and gossipy attitude had rubbed off on her.

Unfortunately both of which were traits Naruto wasn't particularly fond of at the moment. However with a great deal of patience the blonde ignored the kunoichi's demand, and simply bypassed her without a word.

Shell-shocked at being ignored – by Naruto of all people – Sakura quickly followed after the blonde quietly muttering murderous things as Team Seven finally made it up to the rooftop.

"Oi took you three long enough, and seeing as we don't have much time let's just skip to the introductions," Kakashi muttered from behind his book, oblivious to the looks he was receiving from all three of his genin.

'_Why… he…what?'_ Sakura's mind sputtered, struggling to see how the man could muster up the nerve to complain when he himself was over two hours late to their little meeting.

"Shouldn't the sensei lead the way?" Sasuke offered with a smirk, which unfortunately for him cause Sakura to swoon.

"Ah you are correct my cute little genin," Kakashi countered, obviously irritating the moody avenger even more.

"My name his Hatake Kakashi. I like many things, dislike even more, I have plenty of hobbies, and my dreams are a bit too much for my cute little genin," the jonin deadpanned while not once looking up from his book.

'_We learned absolutely nothing…' _trio thought in a moment of rare solidarity. Ignoring this Kakashi simply pointed to Naruto so that they could continue on with the introductions.

"My name is…," Naruto paused for just a moment as he recalled the Hokage's words.

'_No one can know yet Naruto-kun. The risk is still too great, however if you were to make a good showing at the upcoming Chunin Exam then maybe we could work something out,'_

"What a baka he can't even remember his own name!" Sakura barked, only to be met with silence.

"Sakura…," Kakashi warned, not even casting a glance to the pinked haired genin.

"Its alright, I just got a bit distracted," Naruto said before catching Kakashi's eye. The silver haired man merely smiled beneath his mask, his visible eye crinkling into upside down smile as well.

'_He knows,' _Naruto divined from the man's look, genuinely relieved that he didn't have to keep his secret from his jonin-sensei.

"As if you could," Kakashi humbugged not once looking up from his book.

'_Did he read my mind or was he just commenting on his book?' _Naruto wondered as he tried to read Kakashi's face.

Too bad Kakashi had an excellent poker face.

"Naruto if you would," Kakashi prompted, giving the boy the same eye smile as the blonde snapped to attention.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like practicing ninjutsu with Kasumi-chan, medjutsu with Hinata-chan, kenjutsu with Tenten-chan, seals with Anko-chan, and genjutsu with Kurenai-chan. I dislike... crows. My hobbies are creating jutsu with Iruka-sensei and learning more about Konoha. And my dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever,"

The group just looked on in silence, no one had the stones to denounce Naruto's dream. Hell even Sakura was amazed by the boy's raw determination.

"Your up next pink," Kakashi said, breaking the awkward silence.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like… Dislike Ino-pig and… My hobbies include… and Dreams are…," Sakura stated punctuating each pause with a pointed look to Sasuke – and a few fugitive glances to Naruto -, much to the discomfort of the males around.

"Okay…," Kakashi cut in once again before pointing to Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like training … and my mother," Sasuke said after a long moment.

'_He's so sweet,'_ Sakura gushed, unknowingly sending cold shivers up her teammate's spine.

"I dislike that Yamanaka psychiatrist and blondes in general, and my hobbies are avoiding them whenever possible," Sasuke added with a pointed smirk to Naruto.

'_Take that Ino-pig!' _

Ignoring the slightly deranged look Sakura was giving him, Sasuke mood turn particularly ominous.

"And my dream is to find a certain man and make him answer for what his done,"

'_So cool!'_

'_Well that was a bit unexpected,'_ Kakashi admitted before drawing his team's attention once again.

"Well now that we all know each other, I think we're ready for the next step of the Genin Exam,"

And as expected all three of his cute little genin sent him an incredulous look.

"Now now children I will just be a bit of survival training, so that I may get an accurate gauge of our current skill levels,"

"I thought we were finished with this sort of thing after we graduated from the academy," Sakura stated with a huff. The silver haired jonin and his condescending comments were starting to irritate her.

"And you've already been given our files, so you should know what our current abilities are," Naruto cut in, much to the surprise of everyone there. The blonde's teammates just looked on in silence, curious about how the strange jonin would react after being called out.

"True true, however this is a special sort of test, one that can't be accurately replicated in an Academy environment full of cute little genin-to-be," Kakashi corrected with a chuckle.

"What's so funny," Sasuke barked from the side. Like Sakura, the man's comments had definitely irked his nerve and seeing him so amused just made it seem like he was underestimating them.

"Nothing serious. It's just if I tell you, you will probably freak out,"

"Why's that sensei?" Naruto asked with a smile. Unlike his teammates, Kakashi didn't bother him nearly as much.

"Because this exam has a 66 percent failure rate. So I'd advise bringing your best tomorrow. Oh and make sure not to eat anything, I wouldn't want my cute little genin-to-be vomiting blood on your first day," and with that Kakashi was gone.

The three genin just sat dumbly as they processed what they'd been told. Turning to the other two Naruto was the first to recovery and with jubilant smile sprang to his feet in his normal annoyingly showy fashion.

"Well you heard the man! Just one more test before we become genin, and I don't know about you, but I'm not going to late some 66 percent failure rate scare me out of my dream!" Naruto beamed, trying to spread his confidence to his grim looking teammates.

'_Infectious charisma… check, assert myself in the leadership position… check, totally make a kick-ass speech… check. This Hokage thing, too easy,'_ the blonde boasted as he watched his teammates expression change slowly.

However their reply wasn't what he expected…

"We don't even know where the test is being held Dobe," Sasuke interrupted lamely before turning to leave. Sakura spared Naruto a single, neutral, look before quickly following after the Uchiha, no doubt to pester him into a date of some sort.

'_Maybe this is gonna be harder than I thought,'_

_

* * *

_

"Hi welcome to Higurashi's, how may I help you?" A tired Tenten chimed automatically as the door to her family shop swung open.

Immediately she recognized the group as the new genin rookies, and not just any rookies but the Hokage's son and Neji's cousin's teams.

"We're fine for now, but well ready soon," Asuma replied with a lazy wave before releasing genin to explore the shop. Predictably Ino dragged Chouji and Shikamaru one way, while Kiba dragged Shino and Hinata another.

'_Those two are like bull in a china shop,' _the jonin thought with a chuckle before turning his attention to his companion.

"I heard Kakashi finally went and got his team," a bemused Asuma stated as he lit another one of his cancer sticks. His companion, Kurenai, wrinkled her nose in disgust.

It was his fifth one today.

"Its about time, from what I've heard all three have been ready for two weeks now," the red eyed beauty commented curtly before casting a minor genjutsu on the gruff Sarutobi.

"Maybe, but then again knowing Kakashi there's probably some other reason it took him so long to retrieve them," Asuma replied before letting out a content sigh. The genjutsu she'd cast released a wave of endorphins and in his momentary bliss she snatched the cigarette from his mouth before banishing it into a nearby ashtray.

"Hey-,"

"Oh stop, you already admitted that the genjutsu high was better than smoke induced one; and frankly this way you don't seem nearly as disgusting as before," Kurenai quipped much to the amusement of her larger companion.

"You got me, but then again maybe I just wanted to argue with you so I can see that cute scowl you make when you're mad," Asuma shot back causing his girlfriend to blush.

"Ah hum, we're ready Asuma-sensei," Ino interrupted much to the embarrassment of both the jonin.

To his surprise Ino didn't head straight for long range weapons like he'd predicted and instead came back with a rare shikomizue umbrella combination, but what was even more surprising was the price tag.

"Ten thousand ryo!" Asuma exclaimed, only to find that his money troubles were just beginning.

Reluctantly Chouji step forth offering his choice, a Sansetsukon or three-piece staff, with a sheepish grin. Behind him Shikamaru just mumbled incoherently as Asuma was once again floored by the price.

"Better get used to it Asuma-sensei, because from what Kiba told me your going to be paying for Team Eight as well," the lazy genin stated as his sensei sent him a pitiful look.

And as if cued Kiba and Shino brought forth their choices, a pair of clawed knuckledusters and a kasari-gama alongside the young shadow user's trench knives. Horrified, Asuma cast a pleading glance to Kurenai who simply gave him an unsympathetic glare.

"Don't try to back out of our agreement now. You're the one who suggested paying for anything if you lost our _bet_," Kurenai retorted, her glare growing even sharper as she recalled the terms to their little 'bet'.

Flinching slightly, Asuma began to suspect that maybe asking for Kurenai to pose for Shinobi Monthly's swimsuit issue might not have been his best idea. Granted the genjutsu she'd put him under when he asked wasn't much worse than those she'd cast when they sparred, so he figured she couldn't have been that mad.

Then again being thrown naked in a cell of belligerent inmates may have been a hint to her ire.

"But this isn't this a bit extremely," Asuma tentatively ventured.

That was a mistake.

"Really and objectifying me to fuel you and the rest of male population's testosterone driven ego isn't?" Kurenai snapped, her hands twitching at the barely restrained urge to bring a particularly vindictive genjutsu to life.

Knowing further argument would only land him in a genjutsu, Asuma resigned himself to his fate and turn to face with an overly smug Tenchi.

"I see that one's got you trained already. You know I'm going to enjoy retelling this tale to all your friends when they come in, right?"

"Oh shut up you old bastard,"

"Look on the bright side isn't not like you can't afford this, and women love a man with a big bank account,"

"Kurenai's not like that," Asuma stated seriously, biting at Tenchi's playful mood. While it was true the red-eyed genjutsu mistress never sought the young Sarutobi for his money, one couldn't date - let alone be intimate with - the man without knowing just how deep his pockets ran.

To put things into perspective, Asuma was the only surviving son of the current Hokage and that alone made him a prime target for Daimyo and other political tacticians alike who would tried to gain favor with his father through him. However that wasn't to say his he amassed his current fortune through gifts alone, his work as one of the Fire Daimyo's Twelve Guardians as well as earning the man's gratitude earned him a place among Konoha ten wealthiest residents.

Unfortunately for Asuma all of that only made Tenchi's next remarks more humorous.

"Oh I know, and you doing this to yourself is what makes it all the more funny," the giant of a man chimed as he laughed at the expense of his friend.

Across the room Hinata and Tenten were idly chatting, partial due to the fact the younger girl was Neji's cousin but mainly their exchange was brought about my the twin sai Hinata taken to carrying with her everywhere she went.

"… So the last wielder was your mother! Now I'm really honored you'd let me hold them,"

"It's alright Tenten-san,"

However Hinata words fell on deaf ears as Tenten continued to over the weapons in her hand. True to form her eye for quality was impeccable, and within mere seconds Tenten realized that despite the heirlooms' age they were still perfectly balanced and in pristine condition.

Inspecting the weapons with a critical eye, Tenten noted the multitude of seals seemingly woven into the polished steel. Figuring that who ever made this weapon must have inscribed the seals while smelting the weapon so that the seals overlapped into complex arrays that were literally imbued to the blade's core.

Noting that the craftsmanship was equally to her own Tsukiyoten, Tenten delicately cradled the cool metal of the weapons as she offered the handles back to their owner. Dutifully Hinata grasped the twin sai and with a skillful flourish sheath them in the twin carries her had hanging from the backside of her belt. The display drew a surprised eyebrow from Tenten who was impressed by the girl's dexterity.

'_She is a Hyuuga after all,'_ the bun haired girl surmised before an idea struck her.

"Wow Hinata you're pretty go with those things you must practice with them a lot," Hinata blushed hotly at the praise, despite Tenten's word being only an innocent compliment.

"I try to, however Ne… I mean many believe that a Hyuuga shouldn't have to rely on a weapon if they still have their Jyuuken as a means of defense," Hinata amended, trying to downplay her achievements as well as hide the fact that Tenten's own teammate didn't think to highly of her.

Unfortunately for Hinata, neither escaped Tenten's attention; who was torn between silently cheering for the once slip-of-a-girl and fuming at her sometimes-jackass cousin.

'_I'll have to remind Neji of that next time we spar,'_ Tenten promised dangerously. However her mental vow to reintroduce Neji to Mr. Pointy, aka Tsukiyoten, and his merry band sharp n' deadly miscreants was cut off when an even more appealing idea came to mind.

"You know Hinata you're the first Rookie I've seen whose actually got some experience with a specialized weapon, and while I'm no expert I'm not too bad with some of the more _exotic_ armaments we ninja use. So I was thinking maybe we should hang out sometime hang out sometime and maybe get a few spars in, that way we help each other get better?" Tenten offered, only to find the girl ready to faint.

While not nearly as bad as she once was before her little 'chat' with Uzumaki Kasumi, Hinata never been really asked to hangout by anyone. Sure she studied medicine with Naruto and Chouji or practiced with her teammates but both of those we're squarely based on their desire to grow stronger.

However now someone was willing to spend time with her just for the sake of doing so. It was almost too much for the young Heiress to handle.

"I would love to Tenten-san," Hinata replied cordially with a small bow.

"Wow easier there! No need to be so formal Hinata, I'm your friend not some business associate," Tenten groused only to see the pale girl blush a bit more.

"Alright Tenten-sa… Ten-chan!" Hinata automatically corrected much to her chagrin.

"Yes! That's much better! Unfortunately though, we won't be able to do anything until I return from our next mission. Gai-sensei said something about a vanguard job coming up," Tenten added, feeling a bit bad for forgetting about her upcoming assignment.

"It's alright my team and I will be very busy soon as well. Kurenai-sensei wanted to focus more on our training to get us ready for the upcoming Chunin Exam,"

"Oh looking at the Chunin Exams already! I guess I won't be able to call you a rookie for much longer then will I?" Tenten praised the Hyuuga, much to the girl's embarrassment.

"So what exactly is your mission?" Hinata asked trying to divert the attention away from herself.

"We're protecting some daimyo in Wave Country," Tenten answered, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.

* * *

'_6:27… They're a few minutes early,'_ Kakashi thought as he observed his team from a nearby tree.

Although under normal circumstances all three genin should have been able to detect him, his years as Anbu's top assassin and eventual commander taught him how to hide in plain sight. Which basically meant suppressing his chakra to near undetectable level and using the minuscule bit that was left over to mask his scent, breathing, and heartbeat from those more than a meter away.

Needless to say his cute-little-genin had no idea he was there.

Toying with the idea of going back to the memorial stone, Kakashi turned down the idea in favor of getting a better insight on how his team dynamic would be without him actually being present.

Much to his surprise, Naruto and Sasuke didn't immediately butt heads, as both boys' profiles would suggest. Instead Kakashi found that there was a mutual understanding, almost kinship, radiating between the two despite the barbs tossed back and forth between one another. For the merest of moments Kakashi let himself image that their banter was something he and Obito would have done had he survived.

Then reality struck, and Kakashi lightly traced a finger over his protector while a wistful smile played onto his face…

"Na-ru-to!"

The pinkette cry of rage broke Kakashi out of his funk, and for a moment Kakashi wondered if any _preteen_ girl could produce an outburst like that with some sort of chemical imbalance.

Well then again, Naruto did quote a line from Icha Icha Paradise to her and according _The Kunoichi's Guild To Pervert Handling_ – penned by the Sanin Senju Tsunade herself - Sakura was well within her rights to brutalize him for assaulting her femininity.

'_Although I do wonder…'_ Kakashi trailed off before deeming the train thought a little too close in line with his precious Icha Icha to be having about on of his students. (A/N: lmao He's thinking about puberty and the effects it may or may not have on Sakura, not some creep pedo-fantasy)

Naruto wasn't beaten within an inch of his life, in fact – to Kakashi's slight amusement - the boy managed to escape the conflict without so much as a scratch.

His method? Divert all the negative attention to Sasuke, or more precisely, the fact that Sasuke read the series as well.

'_Now that was unexpected,'_ Kakashi noted when Sakura punched the young Uchiha square in the nose faster than he could react. This led Naruto collapse into a fit of laughter that unfortunately ended with him getting one mean black eye.

'_And here I thought I'd end up with the classic fangirl, idiot, genius trio,'_ Kakashi mused as he watched Naruto both his and Sasuke's wounds with a fairly advanced medical technique.

Once again the legendary jonin was surprised, when the blonde hopped up and –with a smile that would have done Minato proud – offered to trade techniques with the fuming kunoichi.

Sakura was torn between her feminine pride telling her beat the pervert to a pulp, intense feeling of flattery over the face that he wanted to train with her, and overwhelming embarrassment when she realized that she had no jutsu over than those required to graduate that she could offer.

However after hearing this, Naruto shocked Kakashi once again by in so many words captured one of the most important truths the Yondaime imparted to him while on his team.

"That doesn't matter Sakura. We are a team now, and teammates help one another no matter what," the sunny blonde gave along with one of his most dazzling smiles. One that, as annoyingly enough as it was, got Sasuke to agree with the sentiment and offer to spar with the two while they waited for Kakashi.

Smiling wryly, Kakashi noted that his passed his test before it was even given.

'_I guess I'll have to think of a test a bit more suitable for my cute little genin'_ Kakashi intoned as he turned to make his way back home, the perfect idea already coming to mind.

* * *

"There perfectly healed," Naruto stated as the green light from his chakra dissipated from view. Sakura, who had just taken a nasty kick to the eye, let out a sigh of relief at the announcement. Having a black eye would definitely hurt her chances with Sasuke, even if he was the one who gave it to her.

"Yo," Kakashi announced from behind his students, nearly send all three of them to an early grave from cardiac arrest.

"Don't do that!" Sakura, Naruto, and –surprisingly- Sasuke yelled at the one eyed jonin.

"Tehe I see my cute little genin have been getting along before my test…" Kakashi stated airily while reading his book.

"- But now playtime is over," Kakashi finished while snapping his book shut. The three genin-to-be barely had a moment to breath before Kakashi's killing intent drew the air from their lungs, and within the space of a second Kakashi clasped each of his students with a manacle.

The cuffs were simple in design, and if it were for the glowing symbol inscribed into the material each of the academy graduates would have believed the braces were just that.

Without easing up on the killing intent, Kakashi preempted any questions the three may have voiced in an uncharacteristically serious manner.

"You three are now bound together by a range sensitive chakra weight, which – just as the name implies – manipulates its own weight according to how far apart the three of them are. So with that said don't go running off in different directions are you may find yourself unable to move worse…"

"What type of test is this!" Naruto cried, only to draw the man's attention onto himself. His teammates felt the effects immediately as air rushed into empty lungs.

'_How is he able to stand it?' _the two wondered before Kakashi's voice cut through their thoughts.

"A simple one. All you three need to do it land a hit on me. One punch, and you all pass. Easy right? Something three of Konoha's finest genin can achieve even if it's against a jonin. Oh and you better hurry because you only have until noon to do it,"

And with that the man disappeared in a poof, his ki also dissipating with the final wisps of smoke.

'_How can he go from being so unassuming to that intimidating,'_ two of the three genin thought, before turning to one another.

"He obviously wants us to work together, although even then I doubt we could do much to him," Naruto offered, taking the led in stressful environment.

"I agree, however all we have to do is land one punch. That shouldn't be hard considering there are three of us," Sasuke added.

"But he is a jonin, the strongest ninja in the village bar the Hokage, and we aren't even genin yet, I doubt he is going to make this easy. Plus we have these things to worry about," the last member of the team chimed in while calling attention back to the unassuming bands latched on to each of one of their arms.

"That is true, but like he said we are three of Konoha's finest and I doubt even a jonin like him can escape combat without getting at least touched," Naruto rationalized.

"Humph, especial when we have these on our side," Sasuke added with a faintly feral smirk, his eyes bleeding red and two tomoe appeared around both pupils.

Meanwhile Sakura said nothing seeing as she didn't have any meaningful abilities or useful ideas to add to the conversation. Ignoring the slight sting the thought left her, she hardened her resolve.

'_Sasuke-kun needs me to be strong!'_

And with that the three took off after their sensei.

* * *

"Team Seven… Fail,"

The words weren't yell in anger, nor were the uttered in contempt. No the words were spoken with a subtle tinge of disappointment that reflected all three of Kakashi's prospective genins' inner thoughts.

The legendary jonin stood before them, his condition just as pristine as when he left his home in the morning, with the infamous Icha Icha in hand.

"Do you have any idea why you failed or am I going to have to spell it out for you?" Upon hearing silence, Kakashi continued.

"Example one all three of you acted as individuals on a team rather than a cohesive working unit. Sure you exhibited teamwork, but only when it was in beneficial to accept help from your teammate, such as when both Naruto and Sasuke rushed in and left Sakura behind when you realized she couldn't keep up with your speed,"

The all three genin winced at that. Almost collectively they couldn't figure our what was worse: hearing their shortcomings aloud or Kakashi's bored – almost disappointed – tone of voice he used to convey those shortcomings.

"But the test was to hit you, and Sakura's weakest in taijutsu so having her along would have been hindrance to our plan," Sasuke justified much to the embarrassment of his female teammate.

"True, but I never said you had to physically touch me to pass. You assumed because I said hit that taijutsu was the answer and immediate concluded that Sakura would be unfit for any tactic. For all you know I may have meant 'ensnare in a genjutsu' as hit, and in that respect both Naruto and Sakura would have been the ideal choices for confronting me leaving you as unfit for any tactic. All you succeed in proving is that you both: severely limited your options as well as illuminate that you can't see 'underneath the underneath'."

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura voiced, trying to take the attention off her crush after that crushing rebuttal.

"A fool takes everything at face value, while a clever man looks behind the surface to find meaning in every challenge. However for a shinobi one must look 'underneath the underneath', because therein lies not only success but also survival," Kakashi recited, obviously quoted words that were once spoken to him.

"Who told you that sensei?" Naruto spoke up, compelled to gain at least a bit of knowledge after his less-than-stellar display.

"Originally? The First or Second Hokage probably, but the one who told me was my jonin-sensei Namikaze Minato – the man who eventual go on to become the Fourth Hokage." Kakashi stated, leveling a meaningful look to the young blonde before him.

"So we didn't look through all our options. I still managed to get close to touching you - and that was without their help - which should to count for something," Sasuke argued banking on his own personal skill to see their way through the exam.

"Yes it only goes to show how much further you have to mature as a shinobi before I can even think of allowing you onto my squad," Kakashi uttered fiercely, casting down any thoughts the boy may have held of passing.

The silence between them was nearly palpable.

"Then give us another chance Kakashi-sensei. I'm sure we can success now that we know what we need to work on," Sakura chimed in, desperate to change their seemingly inevitable fate.

"Why should I? Sakura there are no second chances in the shinobi world, there is only success or death,"

"I refuse to accept that!" Naruto shouted, drawing curious eye from the jonin.

For a moment it looked as if the boy didn't have anything to say after his vehement rebuke, but to the cyclopic jonin's trained eye the young boy was reliving the experiences that made his previous statement so unbelievable. Deciding that boy may have something worthwhile to say, Kakashi humored the blonde.

"Well then care to explain why you deserve a second chance? Or is it that you believe failure and death aren't synonymous?"

"Both…" Naruto whispered, barely audible to those around him.

"Hmmm?" the copy nin asked in his usual play-mocking voice.

"On both accounts, _you're wrong_," Naruto stated as he locked gazes with the silver-haired jonin.

"While it is true that we did mess up or first attempt and that more often than not a simple mistake can spell your death in the field, to say that we deserve another chance or even that a failure is equal to death is to say that shinobi can't be – or better yet aren't allowed to be- _human_,"

"We aren't, we're _shinobi_ – tools for our Hokage," Kakashi countered.

"Then why do care so much for village? Would it matter to a tool if he saw his home sacked, or his family and friends killed? I refuse to believe, no I _completely reject_, the idea that shinobi are just tools. We are just as human as the people we protect, possibly even more so because we put our lives on the line to protect that which we love and cherish," Naruto expressed passionately. Naruto's words struck home, for the blonde's teammates they saw the drive that would lead him to become Hokage and for Kakashi…

He saw the same fire that the Fourth had when we was named Hokage.

"Hmmm very convincing speech, but that still doesn't explain why you should get a second chance," Kakashi mused as he leaned forward to look down on his cute little genin, all the while smiling from under his mask.

Naruto was at a lost. A thousand thoughts were screaming through his head but none of them seemed good to convince a jonin, even one as lackadaisical as Kakashi. Sending a desperate look to his teammates, Naruto prayed that one of them had an idea.

Sakura bit down on her lip nervously while Sasuke merely looked on in frustration. Neither had a convincing reason and it started to seem as if they would really fail.

'_Sasuke and Naruto have done so much to keep us in this test, I just wish I wasn't so useless,'_ Sakura thought helplessly as she turned her eyes to the ground.

'_Think, think! There has to be someway to be this guy at his own game…'_ Sakura thought as she screwed her eyes shut in concentration. Thinking back to everything the man said: from the rules of test to the taunts he seemed to hand out like candy Sakura tried to find some sort of loophole.

'_Time, time, I need more time,'_ Sakura desperately hoped, as she dug her teeth deeper into her lip.

Then it hit her.

Opening her eyes Sakura couldn't help but grin at the ground below her, and then with barely restrained glee Sakura looked to her teammates to confirm her discovery.

Surprised at Sakura's sudden change in demeanor, Naruto moved to ask what happened but the pink haired girl beat him to the punch.

"That wasn't very fair of you Kakashi-sensei, calling the test before our time expired,"

"Hmmm I suppose it wasn't the most honest of tactics, however none of you even questioned my authority nor picked up on the fact that I used a genjutsu to seem as if it was noon," Kakashi taunted before turning a 'smiling eye' onto Sasuke.

"I even had an almighty Sharingan user fooled,"

Sasuke angrily bit back his retort. Only an idiot would look directly into the sun, and that was doubly true for a doujutsu user such as himself seeing as his advanced eyesight would only enhance the damage the star would cause to his retinas. However voicing this would only seem childish, something that Kakashi would no doubt take great pleasure in heckling him about.

Luckily for Sasuke however, a timely outburst drew Kakashi's attention away from him to the blonde up-and-comer at his side.

"We're wasting time! We need to get this guy, and we need to get him _now_!" the blonde cried, emphasizing his point by summoning a dozen shadow clones.

The gang of doppelgangers streaked towards Kakashi with impressive speed, utilizing all the skills the boy gained over the month prior. The combination of gen, ken, nin, and fuinjutsu startled his teammates, confirming their suspicions that Naruto was far from an ordinary genin.

However Naruto's abilities were just that – _genin_ – and to an _elite jonin_ such as Kakashi the blonde's skills were no more deadly to him than child was to a parent. So without as much as a second glance Kakashi fended off the clones, only to look up from his book and find one the clones' creator missing.

'_Where did he…'_ Kakashi wondered, before his heightened awareness alerted him to the blonde's presence.

Leaning, Kakashi watched Naruto's ninjato slash just in front of him as the blonde stepped out of his shunshin. Seeing the blonde's frustrated scowl, Kakashi's eye crinkled into a smile at blonde's attempts to hack him to pieces.

'_He's still relying on his eyes to guide him through the shunshin. Do I tell him the secret behind the technique or do I let him figure it out himself? Decisions, decisions…' _the jonin pondered after ducking under a sloppy attempt to de-mask him. Capitalizing on the opening Kakashi's single visible eye shined with unsung delight as he dropped into stance for once of his favorite jutsu and disappeared.

"Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi crackled as he stepped out of his own shunshin and sent Naruto careening into the treetops.

"Yeoowwwww!" the blonde exclaimed while clutching his injured backside. Chuckling at his student's humbled form, Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash at Sasuke's 'surprise' taijutsu attack.

'_I need to talk to Gai about his current level,'_ Kakashi reminded himself as he continued to parry the boy's blows with one arm. Also, to add insult to injury, the one-eyed jonin didn't even look up from the book he was reading while he did so.

Undaunted Sasuke increased his tempo but the silver-haired jonin was still able to elude his blows as if they were nothing. Kicking up another notch Sasuke surged forward thus transferring all of his weight and momentum into one powerful punch.

To the Uchiha's surprise however Kakashi didn't flittering away from his attacks like he'd previous done. Instead Kakashi quickly stepped into the attack, slipping past his student's punch before gripping his head with his free hand and flinging the boy headlong into Naruto's incoming form.

The missile known as Sasuke impacted headfirst with Naruto as he stepped out of his Shunshin, sending them both rocketing into the earth in an ungraceful heap.

"Let that be a lesson to you two-" Kakashi started before he felt cool metal dig into his back.

"The same could be said for you Kakashi-sensei," Sakura quipped as she shakily extracted a kunai from the jonin's back. A torrent of blood splashed onto Sakura's hands confirming that she indeed scored a hit.

As if by some ironic twist of fate Sakura – the weakest of the three by far – was the one to score the winning hit on their sensei by attacking their sensei from behind while he was distracted by her teammates.

Unbeknownst to her however, her kunai connecting with Kakashi's back was supremely fortunate result of circumstance. First the only conceivable reason she was able to get within striking range of the jonin was because her reserves were so small he could hardly sense it even from that distance. Second the only plausible reason her blow was strong enough to penetrate his flak jack was because of the added momentum from chakra weight, which ironic was created when Kakashi hurled her teammates across the field.

However despite all of that, Sakura did manage to hit Kakashi and the blood on he rapidly shaking hands confirmed it.

Taking a few hesitant steps back Sakura tried her best not to hyperventilate. However the blood's warm, sticky feel, nauseating sharp scent, and the faint metallic taste in her mouth made Sakura hard pressed to keep a level head about the situation.

"Sakura…"

The pinkette turned a tentative gaze to her sensei's voice, however instead of finding a dying man – or even an angry one – Sakura's gaze locked with Kakashi's trademark eye smile. However before she could question in out of place mood the man burst into a shower of water, washing most of his 'blood' from her hands. Sakura just stood stock still as her mind struggled to comprehend what just happened.

"Sakura…" this time it was Naruto to shake her from her stupor.

"Sakura it was a Mizu Bunshin, Kakashi-sensei was using it as a distraction… _And a damn good one at that,'_ Naruto silently added as he shuddered the implications the clone's existence revealed.

It was now painfully evident Kakashi had always been two steps ahead of them. His casual way of trouncing both Naruto and Sasuke more than proved that, because not only was it beyond humbling - especially when one considered that the Mizu Bunshin is only allotted around ten percent of its caster's strength - but it also showed he also enjoyed messing their minds, in multiple ways at that!

He showed to Naruto and Sasuke that even with only ten percent of his chakra and overall strength, he could counter and overpower all of their newfound strength and abilities without some much as breaking a sweat. Sakura on the other hand was insulted in the one area she prided herself in being better than both her teammates, her intelligence.

While there was no doubt Sakura had more raw intelligence than both the boys, and possibly even some jonin, Kakashi managed to craft a scenario were he could have been 'believably' been killed by Sakura. Not only was that another blow to the boys' already battered egos, but he even managed to convinced the girl into thinking she'd taken his life for a good time after.

Ultimately Kakashi, in the space of a few minutes, effectively put the two boys through their paces and showed them what an elite battled like while giving the lone girl on his squad a taste of what was in store for her if she became a kunoichi.

Needless to say disheartening only began to describe the situation they were in.

'_But even still we have to try!' _the three unknowingly thought together as they rushed through the treetops, desperately looking for some trace of their target. Unfortunately nothing seemed to be going their way.

"Guah!"

In a flash Sasuke leapt from the branch he was on and caught his falling teammate before she hit the ground. Giving the girl a cursory inspection, Sasuke found that the skin around the manacle was a bright red and a great deal more tender than the skin around it.

"It's nothing, I just lost my balance," Sakura said quickly as she tried to cover her wrist, her face burning brightly from embarrassment as well as her crush's attention.

"I'll be the judge of that," Naruto announced while approaching his teammates.

"I said it's fine," but before Sakura could protest any further Naruto's hands were already a hovering above her, wrapped in soothing green chakra.

"Overextended ligaments, torn muscle mass, hairline fractures within the bone, and extreme fatigue… Sakura how long have you felt like this?" Naruto questioned as he deactivated his healing jutsu.

"Does it matter? I can use chakra to keep going, and we only have maybe ten minutes left to catch Kakashi,"

"Yes it does," Naruto intoned gently, seeing Sakura was trying her hardest to be strong for the team.

"Sakura although you can _theoretically_ continue the exam with the help of chakra, doing so will likely cause permanent damage to your arm. Possibly enough to end your career,"

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm saying is although using chakra will allow you to move, your muscles will still bare all the damage the weights would cause even if you weren't using chakra. As a med-nin and your teammate I can't let that happen,"

"Then what about the exam!" Sakura argued, struggling to keep the tears from her eyes. She didn't want to be the reason they all were held back. She wouldn't be able to bare it if Sasuke resented her because of her own weakness.

"Tending to you is more important than this exam, or at least to me it is…" Naruto left off as he turned an eye to Sasuke.

The somewhat broody teen kept silent during the whole exchange, leaving both his teammates at a lost for what his thoughts were. Scanning his Sharingan eyes over the two, Sasuke noted Sakura nervously bite down on her lip and Naruto furrow his eyebrows together as if they were trying to ward off his inevitably angry reaction.

Contrary to their belief however, Sasuke didn't feel any anger. In fact the only thing he felt was a gnawing disappointment over his own performance. He'd come into the exam confident that his own abilities would be able to carry him, and the deadweight he'd assumed his teammates would be, through.

"That couldn't be more wrong…" Sasuke voiced aloud, unknowingly settling both his teammates worries.

"We should getting moving then, this time of injury only gets worse with time," Naruto announced before offering his back to Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi blushed heavily while muttering a small thank you before climbing onto the blonde's back, vowing to get strong enough so this never happened again.

'_Well maybe I'll make an exception if its Sasuke-kun,'_ the girl added with a giggle as Naruto rose to his feet.

Noting the additional weight was a little more than he anticipated, Naruto took in a deep breathe before releasing a wave of chakra as he exhaled. The pulse was for the most part harmless but did not go unnoticed by his teammates, who threw a speculative glance at him once the wave of warm chakra rolled over them.

"Resistance seals, they place an opposing force of my muscles for every movement, I can place some on you two if you'd like," Naruto offered, as he tried to shrug off the incredulous looks his teammates were giving him.

"What?"

"Nothing Dobe, just save your insane training methods for when Sakura is out of the hospital,"

With an indignant huff Naruto followed after Sasuke muttering about asshole teammates while Sakura's soft giggles rang melodically throughout the forest. Smiling softly the three figured another year at the academy may not be so bad, unaware of the smiling figure that witnessed the whole exchange.

* * *

"And where do you think you all are going?"

The three genins' heads swiveled at the of their sensei's voice and per usual the silver haired stood in plain view with his book in hand, reading as if nothing was amiss. However instead of a perverted giggle that usually accompanied his readings, the man merely gave them disturbingly joyful eye smile unsettled the three a little.

"We've decided to forfeit this exam and wait a year to retake it," Sasuke answered quickly.

Sakura silently thanked her teammate for giving such a vague answer. Truthfully admitting to herself that the reason they failed was because of her shortcomings was hard enough, however voicing them to Kakashi would have been too much for her to bear.

"Ahh that's too bad, and just when I was about to reconsider passing you," the jonin baited.

And like fish the genin bit.

"Your performance today, and by that I mean all three of you, was clearly above a rookie genin," Kakashi started, and as he predicted all three of his charges looked at him disbelievingly.

"Then why did you fail us!" was the gist of their combined sentiments.

"However, you lacked what was needed to make you shinobi,"

That silenced them.

"For you see any idiot can go out there and wield chakra like a ninja, and as a result most of those idiots wind up dead or worse, a liability to those around them," Kakashi concluded as he looked up from his text.

"So that's why you failed us? Because you thought we wouldn't be able to handle being shinobi, or that we would wind up dead and take our comrades with yes," Sasuke questioned hotly.

"Yes," Kakashi simply stated dousing the boy's anger with cold truth.

"Then what changed your mind?" Sakura ventured meekly, curiosity overriding her impulse to remain out of the spotlight.

"Oddly enough it was you. It's strange really; usually one would think the strongest member of the team would be the most convincing incentive for a jonin sensei to pass their team. However in this case it was the weakest,"

Sakura's face burned with embarrassment at the half-compliment half-insult, while Naruto and Sasuke wondered whom he meant by the strongest on the team.

'_Damn he did it again,'_ the blonde realized, as chastised himself for falling for another one of Kakashi's mind games.

'_Let it be known that Hatake Kakashi likes to fuck with people,'_

"- You got that right," Kakashi intoned, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. Tossing the man a suspicious look Naruto, for the second time, wondered if the jonin could read minds. However once Naruto's caught a glimpse of Sasuke's flustered expression, the blonde genin chalked the man's uncanny timing to luck and coincidence.

At least that's what he kept telling himself.

"You still haven't explained why exactly I did that convinced you to pass us," Sakura spoke up again, this time to call attention way from her crush and his embarrassment and onto herself.

"You, albeit unintentionally, reminded your team of the one thing that separates ninja from shinobi,"

"Which is?" this time Naruto cut in.

"I think it would be better to show you. What do you see here?" Kakashi asked while gesturing to the stone beside him.

"A Stone," Naruto said hastily, only to feel everyone around him facepalm.

"A memorial?" Sakura corrected exasperatedly, wondering how the blonde could go from being so cool to so moronic at a moment's notice.

"Close what do you see on the memorial," Kakashi hinted.

"Names… The names of those who've passed on," Sasuke voiced somberly, his eyes locked on the names of father's.

"Yes this stone was erected in memory of those who gave their lives for this village. It is a reminder to us of the sacrifice they were willing to make as a Konoha shinobi, something far too many ninja forget as they rush on to their graves,"

"So in pushing herself, Sakura showed she was willing to sacrifice her wellbeing for the good of the test – and by extension the village," Sasuke rationalized, getting a nod of approval from Naruto.

"Yes, but…"

"It's more than that. I think Kakashi-sensei is trying to show us that we couldn't truly be shinobi without first willing to sacrifice everything for the betterment of the village,"

"Yes, but even more so a shinobi must be willing to sacrifice everything for their teammates because at the end of the day the village is just a collection of buildings. What truly matters is the connection we share with one another, because bonds are what set Konoha shinobi apart from the rest of world.

This is what I wanted to impart to you, more so than any test, assessment, or evaluation I'm required to give, that to be shinobi of this village we need to maintain these bonds above all else,"

"What if the mission dictates otherwise?" Naruto asked in a conflicted voice, as he casted a glance to Sasuke. Fortunately both his teammates were too wrapped up in the moment to notice, unfortunately however, Kakashi was not.

"A good friend once told me the answer to that question. He said 'those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum.' and to this day I still believe in those words,"

Unintentionally Naruto shuddered a bit at the statement. He doubted Kakashi was knew the whole story about the Uchiha massacre, and judging from prior evidence the jonin probably saw the situation similar to the majority of the village.

'_Convincing Sasuke to hear his brother out is going to be a lot harder if our jonin-sensei fills him up with endocrines like these,' _Naruto mused, before a chilling thought came to mind.

"Did that friend happen to be your jonin sensei?" Naruto voiced, albeit somewhat strained. Internally it made sense to the boy, Kakashi seemed to model most of his thinking after his father's and evidence would assume that if Kakashi felt that way about traitors then his father most likely did as well.

What's worse was Naruto could not stop himself from asking if his father were Hokage would he view Itachi, and more importantly the delicate situation known as Sasuke as something less than scum and needed to be exterminated?

"No in fact, that quote came from the man you set me on the path to becoming what I am today and my best friend, Uchiha Obito,"

Irony had found a new bitch, and for once Kakashi didn't have any activate involvement in helping it search.

However in spite of all that Naruto couldn't help but smile his vision of his father remained as perfect and untainted as his imagination would allow.

"If you three can remember that, then I happily pronounce you Team Seven," the jonin said as he dismissed the trio.

Turning to his team Naruto vowed he would do everything in his power to preserve the bonds they forged, that would be his promise of a lifetime.

* * *

"What a bold statement, you think you can do it?" Ayame asked with genuine curiosity, as she conversed with Naruto during Team Seven's first dinner together.

"You bet Ayame-nee-chan! I've tinkered with ninjutsu before – only fairly simple ones though – and I understand the basic principle's behind crafting jutsu like spatial and elemental reconstruction, but I finding the right seals is what stumps me. It's like a math equation that decides to change its variables as get closer to the answer,"

"It's that the point of variable, to change?" Sasuke cut in, taking immense pleasure in compounding Naruto's frustrations.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up. Not all of us have fancy eyes that instantly interpret and decode chakra flow. I just hope you learn to use them better, Ino's been able to get the jump on you a lot lately hasn't she?" Naruto returned causing the Uchiha to grumble and go back to his ramen, having deigned the conversation beneath his attentions, thus inciting a stifled giggle from Sakura.

Honestly the girl had no idea Naruto was that smart, or knew how to press Sasuke's buttons so well. She supposed she should at least be a little torn over the blonde making fun of her crush, but after the exam from earlier and the several subsequent hours spent in the hospital repairing the damage done to her arm Sakura couldn't bring herself to be too mad at the boy.

'_I really should thank him of all he's done,'_ Sakura noted as she looked down at her arm.

Her wrist was still a little sore but all the swelling had long since receded and from what the doctor's said she would be back to normal with a day's worth of rest. However they proceeded to tell her that she was lucky that she received prior care so quickly and warn her against severe weight training in the future.

She shuddered at what would have happened hadn't Naruto acted so quickly. The logical part of her brain immediately went to listing off the possibilities, which included but wasn't limited to: permanent damage to her bones and tissue could restrict her ability to do jutsu, thus her ability as a kunoichi overall.

Realizing that she was sulking, Sakura shook the negative thoughts from her head with the resolution that she would pay Naruto back in the best way she knew how.

Becoming the best teammate she could be, for all of their sakes'.

And so the three's banter went well into the night, so late even that it wasn't until Ayame started closing shop did the genin realize that it the sun had already set. Unanimously the trio gathered their things, and accompanied Ayame to her apartment.

"Ayame-nee-chan I didn't know you had your own apartment," Naruto remarked, recalling that for the longest Ayame lived with her father above the ramen shop.

"Yeah, I only moved out recently. Things were becoming a little cramped at home, and after a few 'instances' I finally agreed my father to let me move out with a roommate," the older girl explained as a bright shade of red spread across her face.

"What do you mean by…"

"- So who's your roommate Ayame-san, if you don't mind me asking," Sakura cut in, preempting Naruto's awkward question with a scathing look.

"Oh he's a quiet guy, kinda cute though. Unfortunately he's going to be out of the village for a while so I' sorry I won't be able to introduce you to him,"

"Ah that's unfortunate…" Sakura left off into an awkward pause.

It was obvious Ayame didn't want the specifics about her relationship with this man to be own, but if Sakura had to guess they were lovers or at least dating.

'_That's strange though, moving in with the guy as he went out of town…'_ Sakura added, as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"So where is this place anyway Ayame-nee-chan?" Naruto asked impatiently, effectively cutting off Sakura's train of thought.

"It's over that way,"

Peering in the direction the girl was point Naruto realized that it would take forever to get around all of the buildings. That was of course if they followed the main roads…

"Come on I know a shortcut!" Naruto yelled as he darted into an alleyway.

Despite the change in height, intelligence, and attitude Naruto was still the same hyperactive kid on the inside. Which, to the misfortunate of those around, meant they'd have to deal with a lot sorts of childish behavior from time to time.

And conspicuous Anbu from as well.

"Uzumaki-san," a monotone voice called out from behind the pure white mask.

Noting the white mask, cloak, and chilling synthesized voice Naruto's eyes widened in shock when he realized the man's description matched that of Kyuubi's attacker.

"What do you want with me," Naruto snarled before falling into a defensive stance. This guy took out Kyuubi in one blow, something he couldn't do even if he were given twenty blows.

"My orders are to retrieve you, my superior would like to have a word with you. Will you come peacefully or will I have to take you by force?"

Naruto bit back his first response. His opponent was extremely dangerous and probably wouldn't take no as an answer, so provoking him wouldn't be the wisest decision. Scanning the area for any means of escape Naruto found that for the first time he was at a lost for how to evade someone in Konoha's alley system.

"Naruto who are you talking to?" the blonde heard Sakura call from the distance.

'_Shit as if things couldn't get any worse,'_

And lo and behold Naruto found out that Murphy's Law did not like to lightly, when the white wraith surged forward and attacked Naruto with taijutsu combination far above his current level.

Naruto had been caught completely off guard; his defenses hadn't even sensed the move much less had time to react to it. Fortunately for him however, his friends arrived just in time to save him from crashing into one of the alley walls.

"I will not ask again Uzumaki-san. Come with me or I will incapacitate you, jinchuriki or not," the man taunted as a white chakra covered his hands.

Recalling that the man used an unknown type of chakra that was powerful enough to completely neutralize Kyuubi's youki, Naruto didn't want to find out what it would to a normal human.

"Sakura, Sasuke. I need you to get Ayame home safely and then go to the Hokage for help, while I'll hold him off,"

"Are you insane? This guy is an Anbu, as in the around the same level as Kakashi! Your going to both our help if you want to stay alive long enough for help to arrive," Sasuke protested, catching an eerie chill at the similarities between this night and one only a month ago.

"I know but what choice do we have! This guy is impersonating one of his Anbu operatives, which means either he's very talented and managed to kill one or worse some of them aren't as loyal to the Hokage as we think and have gone rogue. Either way we can't trust anyone other than Hokage with this," Naruto tried to argue, but apparent the Anbu agent was done waiting.

Fortunately this time Naruto was ready for his attack, but as he reached for his blade to defend himself a blur shot pass him faster than he could react. Dread crept into Naruto's heart as the white clad Anbu weaved passed his teammates as he made a beeline for easiest target, Ayame.

"Now that I have your attention," the Anbu iterated as he held a flawless ninjato to Ayame's neck.

"Will you come quietly or will this innocent girl have to die tonight?"

And the blade pressed gently against the girl's neck.

Naruto visibly tensed at the sight. Ayame was a civilian and was probably scared out of her mind right now, all because somebody sent a rogue Anbu to abduct him.

'_That's it, whoever this guy and his boss are, they are official number one on my shit list,'_ the blonde vowed as the gears in mind turned rapidly.

Coming up with a harebrained scheme at best, Naruto remotely summoned a batch of clones just outside the alley before lifting his arms up in a surrendering gesture.

The Anbu seemed to get the message and released his hold on Ayame, much to the relief of the genin present. Unfortunately for him, he gave up the only thing that was stopping Naruto's clones from skewering his ass. Or so they thought…

Shish, Thwanck

The sound of cold steel cutting the air was immediately followed by metal cutting metal. Not a single kunai got within three feet of their target. Undeterred the group jumped from the lofted position and descended down on the Anbu.

Unfortunately the white clad shinobi wasn't phased in the slightest, and with swing of his sword the many of the clones found themselves torn apart by hyper condensed droplets of water. The remaining clones, having either dodged or deflected the droplets, converged on the Anbu with their ninjato bared only to have their cloned blades blocked and then destroyed along with them by the man's own ninjato.

'_Water and Earth type,'_ Naruto theorized, recognizing the blade's darkened hue as a result of earth elemental manipulation.

Given his opponent's skill Naruto doubted his own water element could contend with the Anbu's, and seeing as his fire element was at a disadvantage and his wind element had no correlation, the blonde wasn't feeling too confident about a ninjutsu battle.

His worries were for naught however, seeing as the Anbu didn't take too kindly to being deceived, and with just a pulse of chakra the Anbu's blade began to dance with electric sparks before he plunged it into Ayame's back.

"No!" Naruto cried aloud, as blood pooled into the waitress's mouth.

The sight made his anger swell and pulled Kyuubi's youki from behind the surface of the shattered seal. However before Naruto could mold even an iota of the powerful energies, Ayame's pale dying form disappeared from his vision.

'_What the?'_

CRACK

The Anbu flew past Team Seven as if he'd been shot out of a canon. The man hadn't so much as turned around before he was struck dead in the face by…

"Ayame-nee-chan!"

Naruto could hardly believe his eyes. The girl he'd always considered an older sister, just decked an Anbu! Not only that but after visibly taking a stab wound to the chest, the girl was no worse for wear. Upon closer inspection Naruto found that her apron wasn't even damaged.

The girl did not response to Naruto's words and instead charged her downed enemy with unsurpassed speed. Launching a handful of shuriken at that Anbu, Ayame's face didn't show a hint of surprise when he deflected them with his water droplets technique in fact she expected it.

Drawing a kunai as she neared her target Ayame dripped to the side as her dagger clashed loudly against the black opts agent's ninjato. The knife held strong for a moment, but at the resurgence of the Anbu's earth element, the kunai may as well of glass by the way it broken against the hardened metal.

Ever ready Ayame nimbly evaded the incoming slash with a roll of the neck and with the palm of her free hand push the blade forcing it safely to her side. The action so fast that to Naruto, his teammates, and even the Anbu before them it appeared as if the blade simply went through her!

Seeing the opening Ayame hammer the Anbu the chest sending the shinobi skidding back. Clutching his chest the man looked down as if to evaluate his wounds. Locking eyes with the female combatant, surprisingly the Anbu didn't bite when Ayame fell into a defensive stance and taunted him with a 'bring it' gesture.

For a moment Naruto wondered the man was in shock, Ayame had put enough force into her blow to demolish a brick wall – judging from the residual chakra that escape during impact – and the man seemed to be struggling to regain his bearings.

However soon after Naruto began to pick up a faint mumbling over static, something he doubted he would have heard hadn't it been for his heightened sense, he couldn't make out much but from what he could understand the man's superior was giving him orders.

Naruto made sure to burn the sound of the voice into the back of his mind for future reference.

"Understood," the Anbu final spoke before casting look to Naruto.

Blue met white and for a brief moment Naruto swore he could peer pass the Anbu's mask and see a smirk, challenging him to be ready for their next encounter. And with that the Anbu disappeared, leaving not even a wisp of smoke in his wake.

Naruto hardened his resolve, if his enemies could attack him in his home in the dead of night, he was going to train like never before to ensure nothing happened to himself or his friends.

But first…

"Ayame-nee-chan…" the blonde began, watching the girl with a cautious eye as she eased out of her taijutsu stance. Sudden self-conscious, the ramen waitress immediately turned bright red before fiddling with the hem of her apron nervously.

"I suppose you want to explanation as to how I just did that,"

Silent nods all around…

"Well I guess I should first start with my name. I am Urahara Ayame, daughter of Urahara Teuchi, I've been a ninja since I was six and my current mission is to protect you during situations such as these,"

"Hn I'm surprised the Hokage would trust an Urahara with such a job considering, your family's _temperate_ in regards to the law," Sasuke spoke up for the first time since the attack.

"We only have problems with thieving, pompous bastards, which I'm inclined to say includes you as well," Ayame returned with narrowed eyes.

Sasuke just scoffed at the words, he wouldn't lower himself to arguing with someone from such a lawless family.

Luckily for him, fewer wiser choices have been made.

The Urahara clan and the Uchiha clan had a long history, one stretching back all way to Konoha's founding where Urahara Kisuke – the clan's patriarch – clashed repeated with the Uchiha patriarch, Uchiha Madara. Kisuke felt the Uchiha's use of the Sharingan had gone too far when they started copying his clan's Kido, their exclusive form of ninjutsu.

As a result the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, declared the Urahara Clan's Kido a class of forbidden jutsu that they alone could use and distribute. Unfortunately the damage was already done and the Urahara made it a point to oppose the Uchiha in ever way possible.

Which unfortunately resulted a their reputation of being somewhat fluid with their interpretations of the law.

"What, since when!" Naruto accused. Despite the two's banter Naruto couldn't believe that his Ayame-nee-chan was a ninja assigned to protect him.

"A little after you left the orphanage. We were assigned to just keep an eye on you after the Hokage saw the hard time you were having, but after the incident when you were six the Hokage contracted me for a long term mission with a few others," Ayame explained, not liking the forlorn look in Naruto's eyes.

It all made sense now, at first Naruto was curious why Ichiraku's was the only shop in town to serve him without a problem – despite his reputation throughout the village - but he'd always chalked it up to them being unbelievably kind people. However once he looked back he realized that it was highly unlikely something like that would happen if they were just normal citizen.

Furrowing his brows Naruto began to think of all the times he'd come into the shop lonely and just in need of some company, the talks and bonds they forged, the comforting and familiar feel of their chakra…

Then it struck him.

"You were one of the others. One of the Anbu working with Inu-san, weren't you?"

"Ha, yes Inu-sempai was my captain and Unit Commander. In fact he was one of the few considered for Anbu General when my father retired, but turned it down to stay with you," Ayame responded with a chuckle.

'_Old man Teuchi was Anbu General!'_ the three genin thought, wondering how a man that powerful could end up cooking ramen for a living.

"Oops, probably shouldn't have said that…" Ayame thought aloud before offering a sheepish smile.

Coincidently though, Naruto didn't feel quite so bad about picking up his jaw with his teammates doing it right alongside him. Gathering his composure, Naruto locked eyes with the older girl.

If he didn't ask this then he'd never be able to look at Ayame and her father the same way.

"The first time I came to your shop… Was the only reason you let me stay, because of the mission?"

Ayame bit her lip nervously. On one hand she desperately wanted to tell Naruto wasn't the case; that she honestly decided to go against everything she'd ever been told.

But that wasn't the case.

For as long as she could remember, her parents and her grandparents were grooming her to be the best shinobi she could be. She remembered long, exhausting, but ultimately happy days training with them, the proud looks they gave her when she succeed in her trials.

That all ended with the Kyuubi attack. Everyone one of her family members, bar her father, died that night delaying the beast. She had just been promoted to genin at the time, which spared her a grizzly death but also cursed her with the knowledge that the beast that took so much from her was imprisoned in the boy in front of her.

Or so she thought…

"Yes…" the girl finally said after a long moment.

"- BUT! After spending so much time with you, getting to know you, seeing your struggles, and watching push on when others would have just quit… I realized that my angry towards you couldn't have been more misplaced," Ayame amended as she wrapped the younger blonde in a hug who, surprisingly, was crying.

Naruto cursed himself silently. Men didn't cry, shinobi didn't show emotion, and most importantly crying did nothing to fix your problems. The last being a truth Naruto found out rather quickly in his life, and he swore to himself he'd never cry again.

However the thought that his one safe haven was only there out of some sense of duty, shook the foundations of Naruto's world. Therefore knowing that they were there for him, and that they truly cared was reason enough for to make an exception.

They stayed like that for a while, oblivious to the world around them until Naruto was ready to compose himself. Stepping back, Naruto's slightly puffy blue eyes locked with Ayame's warm brown ones and with a small bow he thanked her for all she'd done.

Turning to his teammates Naruto opened his mouth to apologize put Sasuke's hand stopped him before he could utter a word.

"Whatever apology you have in mind, save it. There's no way you could have known some Anbu would attack you in the dead of night, believe me I know," Sasuke started with a smirk.

'_Did Sasuke just tell a joke. About his family!'_

Naruto looked at the boy as if he'd grown a second head.

"- But like you said before we're a team. So whoever wants to get to you is going to have deal with all of us first," Sasuke finished as he rested a hand on Naruto shoulder. Throwing a meaningful look to the pinkette behind him, Sasuke hid a smile when he saw the determined look in her eye.

"I may not know what's going on, but I agree with Sasuke-kun completely. We're a team, that means we live together… and we die together," Sakura added while placing a hand on Naruto's free shoulder.

Awe-struck the blonde flashed them both his most brilliant smile.

"Thanks you guys… For everything, and I promise that I'll tell you everything soon,"

"Good, because I have one question. What is a jinchuriki?"

Read and Review

A/N: **Warning this will probably be my longest Author's Note ever so to avoid confusion I will be dividing it into numbered sections:**

**(1) Naruto's Development **

Wow where do I start? Honestly I feel like I'm doing an okay job at keeping Naruto down to earth, considering that he's undergone a lot of rapid development and it would be particularly easy for myself as a writer to let myself go with his development. Although I really think in doing such, I lost a lot of the raw charisma that makes canon!Naruto Naruto.

I digress however there is still much to be done, which to those who haven't guessed already I'm aiming to make Naruto a generalist. Well a generalist in a sense that he is well versed in all areas. So expect things like sensor type, infiltration, and diplomacy to show up along side the traditional nin, gen, tai, ken, and fuinjutsu.

Furthermore I want to capture the sense that there will always be a need for Naruto to continue to reevaluate and evolve his style. I guess that gives me an excuse to always come up with new abilities or new applications for his skills, but after reading a few fics (Mrriddler's Genius of Konoha and Xavon Wrentaile's A Growing Affection to name two) I realize that truly do the ninja world justice I have to view it a fluid, moving place like our own world. Not someplace that is so isolated that countries can remain stagnant and not fall behind.

My penultimate goal for this fic is to have crafted a Naruto that can be used as a base for future installments, while ultimately I just want to see how much I can twist the canon into my own creation.

**(2) Sakura's/Sasuke's development **

These two I feel are far easier to explain than the lead role of this story.

In Sasuke's case, the environment Itachi left him in after the massacre is far more stable than that of canon's. First and foremost he isn't the only Uchiha left. His mother, and a few children from the side of the clan that managed the family business, all managed to survive the massacre. They along with Naruto, were there to strengthen the bonds already made so that he didn't fall as deep into a brooding despair as he did in canon. Also it helped that he was a bit older and able to handle the shock far better than a six-year-old child.

As for the direction I'm pushing Sasuke toward, I'd classify him as a shinobi's shinobi (think the Obi Wan of ninja lol). He has the Sharingan (he activated as a during the massacre as a child, and I didn't see a need to change that) and with it he has the potential to literally counter everything that's thrown at him, making him the perfect to tool to fight other shinobi. Expect to see the highest level nin and taijutsu coming from him for a majority of the fic, which may aggravate some people but I ask them to think about this. The best ninja in the manga so far have been those that are well rounded, the Sandaime and Pein being prime examples seeing as they had techniques in multiple fields, so who do you think will be better off in the long run? Naruto who can experience, and later expertise, in all fields or Sasuke who will be highly specialized a few fields?

Unfortunately that's a debate for another time.

As for Sakura, well I can say I feel like I'm sticking truer to her canon interpretation rather than her fanon. The biggest example being in fanon you see a wide array of useless to downright hateful personalities in the pink haired girl.

I can honestly call bullshit on all of that, even though I will admit to doing it in the past as well. First case of her being that in canon it is true that she hits Naruto, and degrades him behind his back (however one should note that she was talking to Sasuke, her crush at the time, which she immediately put into question the validity of her statements), she never openly hated Naruto. You can see this in Kakashi bell test where she's worried Kakashi would kill him with a fire release technique (after he makes the Tiger sign), and during the Chunin Exam where she uses Naruto as a example of courage that Sasuke should emulate (this also marks the first time she put the Uchiha down) and again when she alone (because Kakashi and Sasuke are off doing the sealing) openly supports Naruto in his match against Kiba (we all know Hinata supported him, albeit silently).

As for being useless I think I addressed that pretty fairly during the Genin Test. While she didn't have the physical abilities necessary to keep up with her teammates, she is the smartest of the three - **hands down, end of story** - and because of this she was the one to buy them a second chance. However her intelligence is often overlooked or just plain disregarded in fan as being not applicable in the ninja world without skill; however at the same time Shikamaru can come up with 200 hundred plans in the space of a few minutes, defeat an Akatsuki member and wound another (both who were reputed as being immortal), and openly be called a lazy bastard.

At the end of the day however I plan to have Sakura counteract her two teammates, and be something of a wildcard. Trust when I stay that by the end of the fic their will be no shinobi like her in the world.

**(3) Sasuke/Naruto conversation **

All things aside I am actually extremely proud of how that heart to heart conversation turned out between our blonde protagonist and dark haired foil. Personally after completing this I have newfound respect for Kishi, because this type of connection really flushes out the aspects of Naruto's character. Well they did until Sasuke went off the deep end and the focus of their bond shifted from Naruto onto him… But anyway back to topic.

Initially I was a bit worried that the bond formed would be to hastily made to be considered that strong, however after review the manga I realize that Naruto and Sasuke's interactions at this point are just as sophisticated at this point then they were at the VoTE battle. Allow me to explain:

1. Sasuke and Naruto have known a put up with each other in a close setting for six years, while not a close a team setting I figure the time difference (which I estimate to be roughly eight-ten times greater) would offset any of the potential differences canon and this fanon have with one another.

2. Sasuke more or less respects Naruto as an equal. In canon Sasuke was confident he was a superior shinobi to Naruto even within the VoTE battle, and it wasn't until Naruto proved himself to be a threat that he would even put on his headband and regard him as equal. In this fanon Sasuke has no illusions (their battle in the academy saw to that) that Naruto isn't threat in his own right and while he may still feel he is a superior shinobi Sasuke regards Naruto as more or less an equal.

3. Naruto and Sasuke have gone through a life and death experience together albeit from separate people and places, but nonetheless connected in a way both of them can see. In canon this took place during the Wave when Sasuke sacrificed himself for Naruto, thus forming the initial bond that would grow into the lifeline that current, canon Naruto is clutching onto so dearly.

After taking into account all of these things I see that a bond like the one Naruto has with Sasuke in the manga can be formed as early as before they even became a team. However don't be hesitant to point out any facts or points that you feel show the opposite, all I ask is you do so in a courteous constructive manner.

**(4) Change in Kakashi's Test**

Now I know the Bell Test is the tried and true method to exhibit how Super!Naruto is far superior to his canon counterpart, but I noticed one glaring facet about that the typical fanon encounter I hoped to avoid. Canon Naruto passes the Bell Test just like any (well most) fanon Naruto, which leads me to ask well what does the upgrade amount to?

Nothing more than a way for Naruto to be a bit cooler than his official half, which to me (and in the past I'm guilty of this as well), is all flash and no substance.

So instead after a lot of contemplation I decided that after Kakashi secretly viewed his team before the exam, he decided that he'd extend the principles of the test from that of just mere teamwork to really hammer home the facts that life isn't really fair and that the life of a shinobi is that of sacrifice and perseverance.

This is why he had all three of them chained together and forced to face overwhelming odds. Yeah teamwork would be necessity (it was literally forced onto them in this case), but it doesn't amount to much if the whole team isn't on the same level. Which in the end shows Naruto and Sasuke life isn't always fair and more importantly Sakura that she is going to have to sacrifice much more of herself to her career if she doesn't want to be a continual hindrance to her team.

Hopefully this change of pace will show why this Team Kakashi will be far different than any other team Kakashi I've written.

**(5) Teuchi/Ayame**

My decision to make these two Anbu came around the same time I decided to make Iruka one, and both decisions are rooted in the same train of thought. Who are the people that have the greatest effect on Naruto's life, despite evidence that dictates that shouldn't.

In Ayame and Teuchi's case, they provide Naruto with a safe haven when the rest of the village ignores him.

**All** **for no particular reason**.

Yes there are cases in the real world where people go out on a limb and believe in someone despite what their reputation or prior history would suggest, but in Naruto's case these people are among the four in the village (the Sandaime, Iruka, and themselves) that see Naruto for himself. No one else has the interaction or motive (these being Kakashi, the other jonin sensei) to truly see him as just him, without associating him with the fox or some other title.

This lead me to believe that they A) are just incredibly open minded/stupid people (can really decide yet, because its good that gave Naruto a chance. No doubt, but from a realist stand point it was an unwarranted risk, which is basically one of the stupidest things a responsible person can do) or B) or had some knowledge that would proved the contrary to public belief.

I obviously choose the later and thus Ayame and Teuchi were made Anbu.

As for Iruka, working with Naruto all those years in the academy opened his eyes to the blonde's plight, that's something I can't argue. However for Iruka to be the one to always catch him (considering in this fic he had an innate affinity for stealth and detection), it seemed only fitting that the Chunin's skill be enhanced a bit. Otherwise I'd have to say Naruto wanted to be caught after a prank (and subsequently punished, making him somewhat of a masochist) or that Iruka was extremely luck every time he caught the blonde, which is equally unlikely.

On a side note Angel of Snapdragons's Poison Pen was the inspiration for Ayame and Teuchi's family name and antagonistic relationship with the Uchiha's (both of which will play roles in the story later), and I just wanted to give credit where credit was due. And if you haven't read hi fic, please do so. It was a pleasure to read and really embodies a smart, militaristic ninja fic.

**(6) Progress Report Team Seven **

**Naruto**

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Generalist

Stats: Ninjutsu 3/5, Taijutsu 2/5, Genjutsu: 2.5/5, Intelligence 2.5/5, Strength 2.5/5, Speed, 2.5/5, Stamina 5/5, Handseals 3/5 **Total: 23 **

Raw Level: Low-Mid Chunin

Skills/Techniques: Academy Trio (all three soundless, smokeless, and sealless), Oiroke no jutsu (soundless, smokeless, and sealless), Kage Bunshin (soundless, smokeless, sealless), Bunshin Daibakuha, Shunshin (not mastered), Rasengan (not mastered), Beginner Elemental Jutsu (Wind, Water, and Fire), Three Unspecified C-Ranked Elemental Jutsu (Wind, Water, Fire), Katon: Bakuhagan, Suiton: Suianime, Futon: Kirisen, Kimifushi no jutsu, Sujinijuu, Kokuangyo no Jutsu (sporadically usable, but not mastered), Taishihai no jutsu (useable, but not mastered), Shouki, and basic ki control

Strengths: Jinchuriki Chakra Capacity (Near Infinite), Heightened Senses, Advanced Healing Factor, Loyalty, and Unbreakable Determination

Weaknesses: Relatively Bad Chakra Control, Sensitive To Strong Sensory Stimulation, And Naïve

Notes: Although he has the highest base stats of Team Seven is seen as the second strongest because of his relative inexperience with his new abilities. Shows great leadership and charisma, and is the glue that binds the team together. Consequently his actions will decide what makes or breaks this team.

**Sasuke**

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Combat Specialist

Stats: Ninjutsu 2.5/5, Taijutsu 3/5, Genjutsu 1.5/5, Intelligence 2/5, Strength 3/5, Speed 3/5, Stamina 2/5, Handseals 3/5 **Total: 20**

Raw Level: Low Chunin

Skills: Academy Trio, Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu, Katon: Housenka no Jutsu, Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu, Gouken (Beginner's Level), Sharingan

Strengths: Large Chakra Capacity, Intuitive, Accelerated Learning Rate, Focused, Determination

Weaknesses: Cold, Arrogant, And At Times Selfish

Notes: Although not the strongest on paper is considered to have the highest actual combat ability given his comfort and familiarity with his style and abilities. Shows great potential in all areas of expertise, Nin, Tai, and possibly Kenjutsu, as well as skill in the Sharingan (relatively young to have achieved the intermediate level of the doujutsu). Exhibits risk behavior however, and is in most danger of being kill/getting his team killed, must be careful monitored and handled in dangerous/stressful situations.

**Sakura**

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Unknown

Stats: Ninjutsu 1.5/5, Taijutsu 1/5, Genjutsu 3/5, Intelligence 3.5/5, Strength .5/5, Speed 1/5, Stamina 1/5, Handseals 4/5 **Total: 15.5**

Raw Level: Genin

Skills: Academy Trio

Strengths: Superb Chakra Control (Bordering Perfect), High Intelligence, Determination

Weaknesses: Low Chakra Reserves (Less Than Some Academy Students), Easily Flustered, And Childish

Notes: The technically weakest member of the team she makes up for it with a keen intellect and superb control. While current unspecialized her 'blank sate' may be just the thing a master needs in order to make her into something great. Personality wise she is the most grounded of the three.

**(7) Closing Thoughts**

I apologize. It's been over a year since I last updated, and for that I am sorry to all my loyal viewers. However over this time I've gotten a chance to organize my thoughts, and as you can see from this author's note lol, I sort have an idea for what I'm doing. Thanks for sticking with me, and I promise to get to work on the next chapter ASAP. Till Next Time…

Black Saint

Completed 5/26/10


	9. The Die Is Cast

Well here I am again for another chapter. Honestly I was surprised at the warm reception I got for last chapter, especially considering all the time that passed between posts. Hopefully this one's timing is more appropriate lol (then again anything would be appropriate when compared to gap between my pass two installments).

The change in the break system is annoying and I'm experimenting with a new form of break so please be gentle. Other than that I need to make time to go back and fix the old chapters, which I'll get around to eventually.

Also the biggest thing I'd like to mention before we start is Kushina. Kyuubi previous jailer! I didn't see that coming. However if Konoha had not one but three jailers of the fox in total as well as a Hokage who could control it, you'd think the populace would be far more understanding of Naruto case and wouldn't ignore him?

I guess its just another thing we'll have to chalk up to human stupidity. However despite all this my story won't b too affected by the change (in fact some things like Kushina teaching Minato seals is already in it lol), but assured I do plan on veering quite far from canon muahahahahahaha…

Well enough of my babble.

Onward to victory!

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Die Is Cast

* * *

Kasumi stalked the Namikaze estate with narrowed brows. For the pass few hours she hadn't seen hide or hair of Naruto, and she was being to get paranoid that something may have actually happened to the blonde.

Well something other than being attacked by the same Anbu that assaulted her persons as well.

Since then, the two have vowed to never be out about in Konoha alone and always together if they were out after nightfall. Not that it mattered thought, the Anbu – and his leader Danzo – seemingly fell off the face of the face world.

Not that it bothered either of them.

No, the red headed doubted Naruto had been captured and was being held against his will. That meant he was either planning a prank on a massive scale or he was working on a jutsu.

'_That latter it is,'_ the fox woman concluded when she found Naruto hunched over a notebook, various scrolls on ninjutsu, seals, and chakra scattered about across the floor.

Feeling particularly playful due to the recent distance between them, the red hair launched a volley of senbon at the boy's backs.

Naruto hardly looked up as he shifted onto his side, thus dodging the attack out any conscious effort. Idly noting the metal needles now protruding from the wall in front of him, the blonde shifted so that he could get a better view of his smirking tenant.

"I see Anko's beginning to rub off on you,"

"Only when I'm bored, and besides you've been in here all night, I positive you've been dying for some company," Kasumi purred, as she rested her chin on Naruto's shoulder.

Scanning his notes, Kasumi could see that Naruto made considerable progress on his various ideas on how to extend the uses of his favorite jutsu. Already detailed on the scroll was a method to recreate his 'flashbang' clone with the Kage Bunshin, increase the lifespan of each clone, and manipulate the information sharing ability they possessed.

"How far along are you with any of these techniques?" the red head asked while placing the scroll back down.

"That depends really, with the 'flashbang' clone all I have to do is tinker with formation of chakra while I summon the clone and I'll have that down pat in no time.

Increasing the lifespan of each clone will be a fair bit harder, because I still have to find a way for integrate a charka absorption seal into the shadow clone jutsu but that shouldn't take long after I break down the seal and reconstruct it into a handseal sequence.

And as for manipulating the information flow between clones, I was thinking of talking to Ino about how her clan jutsu work. If I can figure out just the basics to their mind reading abilities, I'm fairly sure I can tap into latent connect each clone has with me and form some sort of active link between all of us,"

"Impressive," Kasumi complimented with a nod. Naruto's skill level was improving rapidly, and she had no doubt that in a decade – hell maybe even in a couple of years - he would be strong enough to accomplish his goal of becoming Hokage.

"That's not all though," Naruto said as he handed the girl another, completely separate scroll.

"Is this what I think it is?" Kasumi asked, looking over the boy's notations with a critical eye.

"Yes, and its been keeping me up all night," the blonde uttered with a frustrated growl. Naruto was trying to figure out how to reinforce the shadow so that they could take more than one hit. Well another method to be precise.

Currently the only method available to them required an extensive amount of seal work, and while the process worked to an extent it took a seals master to perform and wasn't a viable option for battle.

"So far I've gotten down to two possible answers. The first is to pour a metric shit ton of chakra into the formation of the clones creating a sort of armor shell that can absorb far more damage than normal. Only problem is the amount of chakra needed is so high I doubt I could make more than half a dozen of them before passing out from chakra exhaustion,"

Kasumi's under brows disappeared under her bangs at that. Naruto chakra capacity easily rivaled any elite ninjas' within the village, possibly the world, and for him to only be able to create six – max – spoke volumes about the amount of chakra required.

"And the other method?" Kasumi inquired wondering what could be as difficult as the first.

"The other is to divide the structure of the clone into cohesive spheres. That way when the clone is hit the damage is localized to a group of spheres rather than the whole clone itself, and due to the attraction between the spheres and damage with be mended as the spheres join to one another,"

"And I'm guessing that instead of a gross amount chakra this technique takes an inhuman amount of control,"

"Got it in one, but inhuman doesn't even begin to describe the control needed. I think the only person who could possibly pull off a technique like this would be Lady Tsunade,"

'_Damn' _the kitsune thought. It seemed Kami took distinct pleasure in taunting her, giving her hope with the tantalizing vision of a suitable body but placing it at an unreachable end. One side would require supreme control, something she doubt either of them would master even their chakra supplies, and the other…

"Naruto, remember how we tried experimenting with jutsu and youki?" Kasumi ventured quietly.

The blonde quickly raised a curious eyebrow, how could he forget, the malfunctioning youki powered shunshin nearly put him through a tree. After that both of them agreed no experimenting with youki-powered jutsu until Naruto developed a firmer grasp on his chakra control.

"Well I may have found an exception to the rule we made. Remember our friend the white Anbu?"

"How could I forget? He's managed to attack the few friends that I have on two separate occasions," Naruto replied with a growl.

"Do you remember how I escaped?" the red head quietly intoned.

Naruto did in fact remember, seeing as the disguised kitsune queen used his favorite technique to avoid being banished back to the seal. Neither of them thought much of it, writing the situation off as a fluke borne from desperation, however now that Kasumi brought the matter up again Naruto was beginning to have his doubts.

"So I'm guessing you've figure out a way to make that fluke work again?"

"Partial, I can't so much as create shadow clones as I can reinforce my current body with youki,"

"And?" Naruto ventured curiously, hoping that by some ironic twist that the answer to their troubles was lying right in their face.

"I can attain a near human state, the youki flowing through me can mimic organs, respiration, and even blood circulation to near perfection but at the cost of complete usage of my youki to maintain," Kasumi finished.

That got Naruto thinking.

"So you can either go with a perfect disguise and defenseless or combative but fragile,"

"Precisely," the red headed amended much to Naruto's displeasure.

Neither of the alternatives were very promising. However until they figured out some way to reduce the chakra cost or raise his control substantially, a perfect clone body would always out of reach.

Fortunately Naruto's depressed mood couldn't linger any longer, as the alarm for his morning shift at the hospital went off. Thus while stifling a yawn the blonde and red head made their way out of the Namikaze estate.

On the way the duo joined up with Chouji and Hinata, who were also making to the hospital to start their own shifts. Despite the ungodly hour and dim lighting, the two girls quickly splintered off and began reading Icha Icha Paradise leaving Chouji and Naruto to their own devices.

"Why do you think they do that?" Chouji questioned, trying his best not to draw the attention of the two giggling females at his side.

Naruto chuckled a little at the boy's actions, for good reason too. Neither Hinata nor Kasumi cared about the taboo that surround the orange piece of literature in their hands, however Ino nearly killed the rotund ninja and his slacker friend at the mere mention of the book leaving Akimichi boy a bit traumatized.

And also a good bit weary of any female when the book in question was present.

"Not every girl is Ino, Chouji. In fact I'm pretty sure if you got her to read a little bit of it she would love it,"

"We obviously aren't talking about the same person," Chouji correcting, eyes glazing over ever so slightly as memories of pass ass-kickings commandeered his thoughts.

"Probably not," the blonde agreed, realizing that as of late he and Ino hadn't really been seeing eye to eye.

The signs were subtle but after numerous fleeting interactions with the blonde, Naruto began to notice that Ino not only shied away from his company but often avoided him all together. Even during group settings where they are forced to work with one another, like his genjutsu training with Team Eight that her team often frequents, the girl can hardly stand the sight of him.

However that wasn't nearly as puzzling as the discrete looks she threw Sakura whenever they finished interacting. Naruto doubted Ino knew he'd caught her, but the look could only described as one of intense determination touched with just a hint of sadness. This led the blonde to believe whatever problem Ino had with him – her relationship with Sakura was the stem of all of it.

However before Naruto could further brood on the mystery at hand a familiar voice beckoned him out of his musings.

"Chouji-kun, Kasumi-chan, Hinata-chan, Naruto-kun," Kabuto greeted with his usual congenial smile. The four nodded back as usual, all having long since gotten used to Kabuto's overly polite ways.

"Kasumi-chan Hachi-san is expecting you in the morgue,"

Kasumi merely nodded before making her way to the basement. Hachi-san, or Hachi Hani, was a special-jonin kunoichi who used to specialize in the rare field of seduction. However as it currently stood Hani was currently working as the dual deputy head of forensics and poison control departments in the hospital.

What sparked the change in career, she wasn't exactly sure, but from what she heard was after Hani came back from a particularly botched mission she nearly left the shinobi corps all together and it took all the Hokage's persuasive skills to get her to stay on board as a med-nin.

"Try not to have too much fun," Naruto called after her with a smirk, knowing how much his red head tenant enjoyed the other woman's company.

"Poisons, bodies, and boobs. What more could I ask for?" Kasumi aptly countered before disappear down a stairwell. Wordlessly the three remaining genin did the same, and it wasn't until all three genin were well out of earshot did Kabuto realize he forgot something.

"Wait! I'm supposed to tell them about our joint mission today,"

For a moment the silver haired genin thought about chasing after each individual genin and going through the same tedious explanation each time…

"Nah, I guess it will just have to be a surprise," the teen said before greeting his first patient with an impish grin.

- Break -

Beep, Beep, Beep

Sakura blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of her room. Glancing over at her clock, she once again found herself grumbling at waking up at 6 a.m. – a total of four hours before her team meeting and six before any actual missions.

However she could only blame herself, or more precisely her abysmal stamina, for her ungodly sleep schedule.

'_Nothing that a rigorous morning pre-team meeting workout won't fix,'_ Sakura though, recapping Kakashi's exact words to her a week ago.

Strapping her sensei's torturous weights to her arm, Sakura noted that what was almost unbearably heavy a week ago barely seemed to register as weight now.

A grim line spread across her face at the revelation, as she couldn't decide to be overjoyed at her rapid growth or disappointed over the fact that we was so weak to begin with.

"Oh well not like it matters now," Sakura muttered before placing matching bands on her other arm, legs, and waist before setting out to start her day.

While mutinous at first, the young kunoichi's body slowly found its rhythm, her physical energy and mental determination forming chakra to aid in her efforts. Steadily her body shifted into autopilot, going through the monotonous act of training without a second thought, while her mind drifted on to more pressing matters.

Namely Naruto…

Recalling the night her team was attacked by the rogue Anbu, Sakura was almost sure that the goofy, infuriating, but all in all unassuming Naruto couldn't be the Kyuubi jinchuriki their masked assailant accused him of being.

However just as her mind struggled to pair the blonde boy's sunny disposition with the fabled beast of slaughter, the memory of the Hokage's stony face as he told them the grim tale of Naruto's birth and current status as the fox's container still scared her more than she wanted to admit.

That and the fact that the Hokage would have no qualms with killing her if she let this information leak into the wrong hands.

The mere thought of angering the Hokage sent shivers of fear up her spine…

"Up early again I see, I guess I'm going to have to start taking this morning routine more serious otherwise you may end up starving before your team meetings," a voice called, shaking the pinkette out of her thoughts.

Following the sound into the kitchen where its owner, Haruno Kenichi, just finished setting down breakfast.

The male Haruno was a single father – his wife having passed a few months after childbirth – and a retired career chunin who now worked as the head of staff for Konoha's Shinobi Library. The man was neither overly tall nor unusually short, and had a sort of serene air that belied his age.

However as Sakura knew personally his temper was legendary, something she unfortunately inherited from him, and his sharp mind – another thing, this one fortunate, she inherited - was always up to the task of disciplining his daughter in an uncannily accurate ways whenever she slipped up.

Despite this the two shared a close bond, sharing everything with one another. Well almost everything…

'_I guess it's time to change that,'_ Sakura thought; as she exhaled a deep breathe before catching her father's attention.

"Daddy," Sakura started.

"Yes 'bana-chan?" her father replied in a humoring voice.

It was a game they played. Whenever she wanted to butter him up she could him 'daddy'. It worked when she wanted to just one more bedtime story and it worked when she wanted to join the Shinobi Academy.

Likewise whenever Kenichi wanted to annoy his daughter, he'd simply shortening the elongated version of her name – Sakurabana – to just 'bana-chan to mess with her. They both that shorting the long version of her name seemed oxymoronic, but Kenichi found his daughter's reaction humorous enough to warrant it.

"Dad you know I hate it when you do that," Sakura added with a pout.

"Well than stop trying to butter me up, you know I usually say yes to whatever you want, given that your request isn't too excessive," Kenichi countered without so much as looking up from the morning paper.

"I know, I know it's just that,"

"What honey," Sakura's dad coaxed, his daughter's hesitance demanding his full attention.

"It's about a boy…"

"Dear Kami not your precious Sasuke-kun again! You know how I feel about boys!"

" No! This isn't about Sasuke-kun, who by the way is still my future husband so get used to it, but it's about my other teammate… Uzumaki Naruto," Sakura trailed off again, keenly observing her father in search of any visible reaction.

And there was one…

However instead of the room suddenly dropping in temperature and her father coldly denouncing her teammate; the elder Haruno simply took off his rectangular glasses and locked his piercing green eyes with his daughter.

Those green eyes sharp, light green eyes were the only physical characteristic she'd inherited from her father. Everything else: nose, smile, and distinctive pink hair had come from her deceased mother. For that she was eternally thankful, because whenever her look at her with a sad almost pained look - almost as if he was looking passed her and at the image of her mother from the grave – when she locked eyes with him he seemed to be shaken out of his trance.

However now was not one of those times and the serious look on her father's face told her, whatever pretense she had coming into this conversation were about to be proven completely wrong.

"That boy Sakura… He isn't someone–"

"That's had an easy life. I know Dad… The Hokage told me so. In fact I've known for about a week now," Sakura added pleased to see that her predictions were thankfully wrong.

That surprisingly allowed Sakura to release the coiling tension she unwittingly been holding. Seeing this her father relaxed as well, now not fearing that he would have to face the death penalty for even having this conversation.

"Well then I can speak freely about that boy's situation," the elder Haruno uttered.

"The Yondaime and that boy saved all our lives that night, there is no doubt about it. And to think this village, which is by far the most accepting of things like kekkei genkai and such, would fall so low as to neglect a child...

I've long since begun to think that the Hokage's Council are nothing more than puppets too weak to resist the pull strings of ignorance and contempt,"

Sakura was blown away by her father's conviction. For him – a retired chunin and librarian – to utter such mutinous, potentially treasonous, things about the Council that governs their village was like her burning a book!

Shamefaced Sakura thought back onto her own treatment of the blonde in question…

While annoying and sarcastic, Naruto never once was openly mean or impolite to her. Which was something she could hardly reciprocate. However what was especially damning was when she thought back onto why she was anytime she was rude, unkind, and mocking to the boy all she could say was it was the same thing everyone else was doing.

Feeling as if she was just another shining example an easily manipulated puppet, Sakura quickly finished up her breakfasted and headed out to meet her team – her mind cleared of any doubts she about her blonde teammate.

- Break -

"- And finished! Amazing work young Sasuke-kun, your flames of youth are burning more brightly than ever!" one Maito Gai announced to the still slumbering world.

While to most seven thirty was prime time for sleeping, for the famed Green Beast and his students seven thirty was the perfect time to complete their vigorous training workout.

"Hn," the boy added weakly, too tired to state how he truly felt about the man's antics.

However once realizing that the man had followed him home rather than continue his training with his other disciple, Lee, Sasuke sent the man a curious look.

Which unfortunately didn't go unnoticed by the green clad jonin.

"Your mother requested my presence this morning after are usual routine. Most likely to get a better feel of abilities; speaking of which I need to coordinate with Kakashi about your weight training, your performance suggests your current weights aren't enough,"

More weight on top of Kakashi's training bands and Naruto's resistance seals! Sasuke shuddered at the thought; and without preamble the boy hurried off to his quarters.

"Works every time," Gai added with a chuckle before entering the Uchiha Head's office.

"Please Maito-san, have a seat," Mikoto said politely as she served the burly man a cup of tea.

'_To think a few months ago I would have broken the glass by merely holding it,'_ the man mused as he sipped his tea.

The official reason of his visit, to inform the Uchiha Head of its Heir's progress, was quickly concluded over pleasantries. Sasuke was advancing quickly, almost too quickly, however no one could blame him considering his motivation.

Even if it drew an uncomfortable parallel between him and the man he was chasing.

However despite that both knew the real reason they were still in the other's presence.

"I suppose your going to ask me why I took Sasuke under my wing,"

"Keen as ever. I do believe you should change your moniker from Konoha's Azure Beast to Konoha's Astute Beast,"

Gai didn't bristle in the slightest at the Uchiha Head's jest, having long since gotten used to any insult to his person. However spotting the man's less than warm reception, Mikoto quickly sought to make amends.

"Come now Gai, it was merely a joke,"

"Oh! You've mistaken my silence for offense. Worry not Uchiha-sama, I was only thinking of how alike you and Hani-chan are, for that is the real reason you called me here isn't it?"

Mikoto's shocked gasp was all the confirmation Gai needed, and with an uncharacteristically sly smirk, the taijutsu master met the Uchiha Lady's eye with playful gleam in his own.

Recognizing her loss, Mikoto let out a defeated sign before chuckling aloud.

"It seems you are correct Maito-san, and I suspect my step-sister had something to do with your decision,"

"Yes Hani-chan did expression a deep concern for young Sasuke-kun after your allege death, however she only asked me to keep an eye on the boy to make sure he didn't do anything he'd regret,"

"Then why-"

"Because once I finally did get around to observing the boy, I found that he and I are a lot more similar than I'd anticipated," Gai cut in, while locking gazes with the Uchiha Lady.

While no slouch of a ninja, Mikoto was a bit unnerved by the jonin's stare. Not because it was threatening but because in his eyes she saw the same raw anger that resided in her own son's eyes.

"There is a reason I am also known as Konoha's Hot-Blooded Beast as well, and even to this day I still have trouble controlling that side of me, not that Hani helps the situation," Gai said jokingly, despite his serious expression.

"Are you saying that Sasuke is going to grow up like you?" Mikoto shot back half jokingly as well.

"No… With or without my help, Sasuke has far more potential than I ever did. That's why when I stumbled across him that day; I decided to do more than just watch. I thought that maybe if I could guide him, even just a little bit, he could avoid making the same mistakes I did because of our nature,"

Mikoto was floored. Not only had Maito Gai, one of Konoha's Elite Jonin and former Anbu Commander, state that her son had more potential than he ever did, but he also went out of his way to ensure that he reached it.

A humbling relief swept through the Uchiha woman in wake of the revelation.

"Uchiha-sama,"

"Mikoto is fine Maito-san," Mikoto cut in with a smile.

"And Gai is fine for me as well. However if that will be all…"

Blushing in embarrassment, Mikoto looked at the clock and found that almost half an hour had passed since Gai entered her office.

"Yes, yes that's everything and I apologize for eating up so much of your time,"

"Nonsense! I merely seconds away from my destination, and my precious students know to begin a mission without me should I be late to our team meeting," Gai announced boisterously as he got up from his seat.

And with a bow the green giant of a man was already out of the woman's office, passing Sasuke as they both headed off to their respective team meetings.

- Break -

"Team report," a hushed voice crackled over the earpiece.

Nonetheless Kakashi's hushed tones still inspired a snap in the three genin that their feared academy teacher would be hard pressed to match.

"Sector 1 clear, Sector 2 clear," Sasuke and Sakura replied near simultaneously over their communicators.

Each thoroughly scoured their division of the forest for the Fire Lady's blasted pet, but neither could find hide nor hair of the damnable cat.

"Naruto?" Kakashi voiced slowly, not liking the boy's radio silence.

"Sorry I just finished sweeping Sector 8, and…"

"Sector 8? Naruto-baka you were only supposed to do Sector 3 and check in," Sakura cut in loudly.

"I know but I got finished so quickly that I knew you wouldn't be finished, so instead of checking in multiple times and distracting everyone I decided to keep moving until you guys checked in,"

None of them could fault Naruto's logic, seeing as if he'd checked in every time as order he would have either ended up discouraging Sakura or infuriating Sasuke with his efficiency.

Not that his forethought mattered, seeing as he succeeded in accomplishing the latter of his worries.

"Shadow clones, is that how you finish so quickly," Sasuke snapped over the intercom.

Despite how close the two become, Sasuke still couldn't quite handle the fact that Naruto was progressimg at a much faster rate than he was.

Which was saying something considering that Sasuke was the second youngest Uchiha to activate his Sharingan.

"No, I used chakra sensing to scan the area," Naruto amended in a sheepish voice.

Sasuke's strangled cry flooded the microphone.

"Where did you learn-"

"Ma ma Sasuke, do you ever get tired of hearing yourself? I'm teaching him. Just like I'm teaching you Raiton jutsu, and Sakura chakra strings. Now let us catch this cat and be done with this mission," Kakashi barked before cutting his line.

The three dutiful did as instructed and moved into formation without so much as a word, although there was one hell of a hole being burned into the back of Naruto's head.

Ignoring Sasuke, Naruto instead focused on their target, a full-grown Konoha tiger!

While normally genin are given the task of finding missing house pets and items as a sort of safe, simulated run of future retrieval missions. Team Seven stood out in the fact that they completed those types of missions incredibly fast and incredibly well.

It wasn't really much of a shock, once one looked at the evidence. Their team was originally crafted so that the Rookie of the Year's skills would balance out the Dead Last's ineptitudes.

Just like all other graduating classes in the past.

However Naruto was no longer the weakest link, and on a team comprised of the academy's smartest girl and most skilled boy that was saying a lot.

So after delivering the Fire Lady her pet cat back for the third time before noon, the ridiculously annoying woman requested Team Seven for a little help getting back one of her bigger pets.

Thus enters said tiger and its claw that was currently coming down on the aforementioned blonde's head.

'_Damn I'm beginning to hate this job,'_ Naruto groused as he jumped back to avoid being swatted aside. However despite his best efforts, dodging a lunging fourteen-foot feline was harder than he thought.

"Naruto!"

Sakura cried before summoning her chakra strings. It'd only been a week since Kakashi introduced her to the chakra strings technique, and already Sakura was able to summon one from each finger.

"Concentrate, concentrate," the girl chanted under her breath as she latched each of the energy tendrils onto the tiger's claw.

The tactic saved Naruto but unfortunately turned the beast's attention onto her.

'_I'll be fine as long as I stay up…,'_

However Sakura's train of thought was cut off by a sharp tug from her quarry.

'_It can use chakra!'_ Team Seven thought collectively, realizing that there was no way the tiger should have been able to pull Sakura without manipulating her own chakra strings against her.

Simultaneously the two other genin blurred into action; Sasuke driving forth to catch Sakura, and Naruto weaving a genjutsu over the angry beast.

"Nehan no jutsu (Nirvana Technique)," Naruto whispered as a single feather landed on the tiger's snout.

Slowly the beast's eyes began to droop before it lumbered itself onto the ground and yawned loudly. Seeing that his genjutsu worked, Naruto confidently walked up to the relaxing beast.

Shocked, and still a bit disbelieving at the feline's drastic change in demeanor, Sasuke and Sakura opted to stay back.

"Naruto are you sure its safe?" Sakura asked in a hesitant voice.

"Yeah dobe, you weren't fast enough to get away from that thing when it was ten feet away, what makes you think you can avoid it from less than one?" Sasuke added, his whole body ready to act at a moment's notice.

"Relax, the genjutsu is one Kabuto taught me and is used as a alternative anesthetic for problematic patients in the hospital. Right now all the tiger is feeling completely relaxed and won't attack us as long as we don't alarm it in any way,"

Still unsure the two stayed back, until the stripped beast started purring as Naruto petted its stomach.

"See guys, she's friendly. Now hand me that collar, I'm going to put and tracking and obedience seal on it so next time we have this mission we can find Neko-chan here faster and without the hassle,"

"Naruto/Dobe…" the two voiced together, not knowing what to make of the scene before them.

The cat just purred louder.

- Break -

"Neeeeeeeko-chan! How I've missed you baby," the Fire Lady yelled as she threw herself on the tiger, and began to squeeze the life out of the beast.

And for a second it looked like the tiger was going to return the favor, but stopped once Naruto put a hand on its back causing the full grown tiger to purr like a newborn kitten.

The obedience seal was working in full effect. While not controlling the animal's mind or anything of that nature, the commonly used seal helped pets become familiar with the chakra within the seal and greatly enhanced the animal's trust in the caster.

Giving the big cat one more pat as it made its way out of the room with its master, Naruto turned his attention back to Kakashi as he prepared his debriefing.

"Excellent work team. You managed to complete the objective without harming the target, and what's more you did it without my help,"

"What good that would have done," Sasuke muttered darkly, causing Kakashi's eyebrow to twitch ever so slightly.

"Yeah, I figured Kakashi-sensei would try to help the tiger or kidnap it away from us as some sort of tangent exercise," Sakura conjectured absently.

"Guys wait I don't think we're giving Kakashi-sensei enough consideration…" Naruto interrupted, earning him a silent nod of approval from the man.

"It isn't often Kakashi acknowledges our accomplishments, much less not without tying in an insult or remark how it could've been done better. So my guess is he probably has something heinous in store to make up for the missed opportunity," Naruto concluded, his face scrunched up in the thinking position.

At that Kakashi's twitches and angry tick marks were very apparent, and the jonin looked ready to chew metal and spew kunai. However just as he was about to unleash his wrath on the trio, they innocently beamed up at him from under his glare.

Pausing, Kakashi found himself actually wordless for once as the looks his cute little genin were giving him diffused his anger. Settling for grumbling under his breath the elite jonin decided that lunch would be a better balm for his frustrations.

"One Miso ramen," the man said in a tired voice, as plopped down on his favorite seat in the ramen bar.

"Tired sempai?" Ayame asked with a smile as she began cutting vegetables from the man's meal.

"You have no idea. I can't remember training a squad that was this difficult…" Kakashi said casting a side along glance to the trio. Only to get sickeningly bright smiles in return.

"Or this annoying,"

Ayame giggled at the sight of her dejected former commander. The man may be an elite ninja and expert assassin, but he was by no means good with children.

'There, there sempai you only think its troublesome and annoying because your used to training Anbu elite,"

"I suppose that's a big jump from genin now isn't it,"

"Not really, because despite our difference in skill greenhorn genin and greenhorn Anbu tend to make the same mistakes," Ayame stated as she set Kakashi's bowl of ramen down in front of him.

"Then why-"

"Because greenhorn Anbu know better than to mouth off to the Legendary Sharingan Kakashi," Ayame amended wistfully, remembering her own time in the black corps.

"So you think they don't respect me?" Kakashi asked eying the three eavesdropping on his conversation. Suddenly ramen was the most fascinating thing in the world to the genin.

"No, I don't think it's so much that they don't respect you as it is they don't understand you," Ayame stated, recapturing Kakashi's attention.

Kakashi pondered his former subordinates words carefully. His team didn't understand him! That was preposterous!

Sasuke was the mirror image of younger self: controlled, talented, but holding in terrible pain and anger. While Naruto was almost a carbon copy of Obito: goofy, fun-loving, but at the same time held an awesome power within him. And Sakura was the soul successor to Rin's fiery spirit, which was tempered only by her intelligence and love for…

And that's when it hit Kakashi.

'_I'm projecting my old team onto them…_ I see," the man uttered as he finished his ramen.

" 'I see'! Is that all you have to say!"

"What did you expect, a heartfelt confession about my past?"

Ayame frazzled a bit at Kakashi's retort. A living legend he may be, but a people person he was not.

"No! But at the very least you should try to fix it,"

"Hmm meh, or I could just everything work itself out," Kakashi countered before pulling out his orange book.

"Urg! You three come with me!" Ayame roared, beckoning the three – now frightened – genin to follow after her.

"Hey where are you going?" Teuchi cried from the back of the stand.

"Break!" Ayame ground out as she stomped towards training ground 7.

"Have them back in an hour or two, we have another mission for today," Kakashi called after the angry girl. Only getting a rather rude hand gesture in reply.

Glancing at his only remaining customer, Teuchi couldn't help but sigh once he noticed Kakashi's smug grin.

"You know you probably could have just asked her to help you with your team, and she would have done it," the old man groused.

"Yeah, but then I would owe her a favor. Besides this way we both can read our books in peace,"

Looking around, Teuchi notice that his stand was in fact empty save for Kakashi.

"Hatake have I ever told you what a genius you are?"

"Yes sempai, but you could mention it more often,"

- Break -

For the pass ten minutes Ayame stalked through the wooded area leading up to training ground 7, all the while muttering what sounded vaguely like death threats under her breath. It didn't take a genius to see that Kakashi put her in a bad mood.

"Ummm…" Naruto voiced hesitantly, causing Ayame to whip her head in the blonde's direction.

Not anxious to turn the ramen waitress's ire onto himself, Naruto threw his hands up in defense.

"I just wanted to know what you planned to show us. Kakashi-sensei we needed to master the basics before we moved on, so we've been working on that for the pass week," the whiskered genin explained.

"I see… So how much of the basics have you mastered?"

"What do you mean by basics?" Naruto asked, trying to get a feel for what she wanted.

"You know. Mission etiquette, chakra control, what ninjutsu do you know, things of that nature," Ayame explained as she panned her vision over the three faces.

"Basic mission protocol, silent signaling, and how to complete mission reports on the administration end of spectrum," Sakura interjected.

"We've also been working on our chakra control together in the hour or so of free time we have before Kakashi arrives for our team meetings," Sasuke added.

"Typical sempai..." Ayame added under her breath, causing the trio to snicker quietly amongst themselves.

"Well what chakra exercises have you been working on?"

"We've all mastered leaf floating, and have been practicing tree climbing and water walking. Kakashi-sensei showed Sakura-chan here how to make chakra strings, but that's a bit too advanced for Sasuke and I," Naruto elaborated truthfully.

Ayame nodded her head in approval at the list. Most of those techniques were chunin level and above, so for genin to be able to perform those techniques definitely should that they were ready to move on from the basics.

"That very impressive, but I notice that with the exception of chakra strings all of those skills were just general abilities. What specialties are you all working on?"

"Close Combat,"

"Generalist,"

"Undecided,"

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura answered respectively. Some may have thought it strange for a genin team not to have so sort of arcing specialty such as tracking or capture and containment. However Ayame just smiled at the replies, the lesson for the day already forming in her head.

"No formal team role eh… Well guess I'll just have to teach you the technique that made me famous in Anbu,"

"And what's that Ayame-nee-chan?" Naruto asked, absolutely giddy at the thought of learning her famous technique.

"The shunshin!"

Naruto immediately deflated.

"What?" Ayame questioned indignantly.

"You have to be a chunin to learn the shunshin,"

"The shunshin is only a level chunin technique, not Anbu caliber,"

"I can't do the shunshin,"

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto uttered at once, before throwing surprised looks at one another. Sakura couldn't believe that her teammates were already tried and were unreceptive of a chunin level technique, while Sasuke wasn't impressed with a technique he'd seen since before he started the academy.

As for Naruto, just the name of the technique brought back memories of his face getting acquainted with every solid object within 'jumping' distance of his estate.

"It seems you all have a misconception on the shunshin jutsu. While the shunshin is a chunin level technique all ninja are expected to learn it at some point – even Anbu," Ayame stated pointedly before shifting back into lecture mode.

"When performing the technique the user must wrap themselves in chakra before using their chakra as a springboard to 'jump' to another location. The landing is usually the hardest step for new users, because they tend to rely on their eyes rather than their chakra to guild them,"

A light bulb went off in Naruto head at that. He recalled in each of his shunshin attempts he tried to estimate his land point with his eyes, which usual put him between 5 to 10 meters away from his intended spot. It was enough to get by in an open area, but Naruto knew in combat – or even in an enclosed space – a miscalculation that big would likely get him killed.

Signing the seals for the teleportation jutsu, Naruto closed his eyes as the energies surround him and sought out his landing point with chakra rather than his eyes.

The process was clumsy, and his depart took a second or two longer than normal but instead of landing 10 meters away, face first into a tree, Naruto found himself only 3 meters away from his intended destination.

"Good attempt. A bit slow on the take off, but rather accurate on the landing. I'm guessing you've had practice feeling out the area with chakra,"

"A little. Kakashi-sensei's been training me to be a sensor type for about a week now, so I've been doing a few exercises involving probing the area with my chakra. Although I feel like I'm much better at hiding my chakra than finding stuff with it,"

"The Yin to a sensors Yang, no wonder your catching on so quickly,"

"What was that Ayame-nee-chan?" Naruto asked, puzzled by the girl's seemingly random comment.

The ramen waitress just giggled at the boy's facial expression. What she was about to tell the blonde was a fair bit more advanced than normal genin material, however if Naruto desired to become a master sensory ninja he would have to learn about this information sooner or later.

"Yin, which is characterized as tranquil stillness, is the principle of chakra used when a shinobi tries to hide themselves. Whereas Yang is characterized as lively movement and is the principle of chakra used when sensing someone. They are two halves of a single whole, which explains why your aptitude in one helps your understanding of the other,"

Nodding thoughtfully to that Naruto continued with his shunshin practice, wondering what other skills were tied together by Yin and Yang chakra.

Across the clearing however – having heard none of this - Sasuke decided to try, and with a burst of chakra the raven-haired Uchiha activated his Sharingan before signing the jutsu.

While not a training sensor type like Naruto, Sasuke figured that his Sharingan's enhanced perception he would make up for the usual inaccuracy that came when normally using ones eyes.

And it did…

However the Sharingan did so by copying the 'jump scar' that Naruto created when used the technique before him.

Crack

"Yeowcha!" Sasuke howled as he slammed headfirst into the back of Naruto's skull.

"Thank you Sasuke for demonstrating one of the biggest weaknesses in the shunshin jutsu, the 'jump scar'," Ayame stated amidst her laughter.

"What's a 'jump scar'?" Sakura asked in lieu of her downed teammates.

"I'm glad you asked. A 'jump scar' is a collection of chakra that lingers after one performs a shunshin. This chakra links the 'jumping' site to the 'landing' site, and is pretty much a beacon to any one sensitive to chakra,"

"So that's why Sasuke ran head first into me. He followed my jump scar like a trail of breadcrumbs!" Naruto exclaimed before his expression turned thoughtful.

"Is there anyway to stop someone from using your 'jump scar'?"

Ayame's smile only widened at the inquiry.

"Yes, the easiest method being mastering the jutsu to the point were only the most miniscule amounts of chakra is wasted during execution. The jump scar is formed by lingering chakra, so if you eliminate the chakra being left behind the size and duration of the jump scar is reduced,"

Naruto nodded, deciding then and there he would practice the shunshin jutsu until he was able to perform it silent, sealless, and smokeless. He knew it would be a daunting feat, even with the help of shadow clones, however if Ayame's mastery of the technique was any indicator it was still within the realm of possibility.

"You said that mastering the jutsu was the easiest method to make up for the jump scar weakness, but I'll know of one Uchiha to have done that," Sasuke stated suddenly, before settling an intense glare onto the Anbu.

"Uchiha Shisui otherwise known as Shisui of the Mirage," Ayame answered airily.

"He was considered a genius, even by our standards, and he was the only one capable of completing the _easiest_ method,"

"So I'm guessing you want to know who could possibly accomplish something more difficult," Ayame said with an impish grin.

Sasuke's glare spoke for itself.

"The method I use, the one my grandmother perfected and the one gave us both the moniker Goddess of Flash, is known as Shunpo,"

"Flash Step?" Sakura spoke in a puzzled tone.

"Yes, the Shunpo or Flash Step takes the energy forms the jump scar and uses it to make a distraction of sorts,"

"A distraction of sorts?" this time it was Naruto who spoke up.

"The chakra used creates a semi-solid bunshin that can take a blow as well as seal the jump scar,"

"Impossible! That means you would have to simultaneously cast two jutsu!" Sasuke shouted.

Ayame just smiled at the outburst. She knew why such a claim got a rise out of Sasuke, why it would piss off any Uchiha. Because if what she said was true than not only could their fabled Sharingan not copy the technique, but it couldn't perceive the technique as anything more than a incomprehensible flash.

It was their blind spot…

And sure enough when Ayame gave a live demonstration of her technique, all Sasuke saw was a blinding light before nothing.

"That impossible enough for ya?" the girl whispered from behind the genin's ear.

Sasuke lashed out faster than he'd ever thought he could, and a morbid joy crept into his heart when he thought his fist connected with the young woman's face.

However before his very Sharingan enhanced eyes, Ayame – and the blood flowing freely from her nose – faded into nothing as the semi-solid bunshin created in the wake of her second Shunpo disappeared.

"Any questions," Ayame called out from behind, this time out of reaching distance from the irate doujutsu user.

"One," Naruto announced, cutting off both of his teammates before could start. Throwing the both of them his trademark smirk, Naruto then turned to Ayame who was matching his smile perfectly.

"When do we start?"

An Hour and a Half Later…

Swish, Pop, Thud

The sounds announced the presence of three figures as they came into view in the front of the ramen stand.

The first of those figures, Sakura, was kneeling due to lack of energy. It seemed the distance from training ground seven to Ichiraku's was just a bit too much for her reserves to handle.

The second figure, Naruto, used too much chakra to teleport back to the ramen stand and as a result his chakra displaced the air in the area resulting in an audible pop.

The last figure, Sasuke, was laying face up having run right into the walls of ramen stand. The reason he alone was the one on his back was because Naruto, who used way too much to jump back, created a jump scar that interfered with his own shunshin.

So instead of focusing on landing, Sasuke focused on not getting sucked into Naruto's jump scar and colliding with the boy like he'd done earlier.

Too bad he was screwed either way.

"Oh did Sasuky-chan have an accident?" Ayame mocked having just stepped out of her shunshin.

The dark haired boy just grumbled before sitting up.

'_Don't give her the satisfaction, don't give her the satisfaction,'_ Sasuke chanted internally while closing his eyes to Ayame's antics.

"You know you'll end up with wrinkles if you keep your face scrunched up like that,"

"Well it seems like my break is over," Kakashi announced before catching Sasuke's hand just as the boy's fast snapped forward.

Sasuke tugged at his sensei's grip, and went it didn't budge he turned his murderous glare onto him.

"I need you in one piece for the mission," Kakashi said simply before leading his team out of the ramen stand.

"Come again!" Ayame called after them, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"What?" the girl added innocently at the sight of her father's glare.

"You just like your mother," Teuchi merely replied with a shake of his head.

- Break -

"Ummm Kakashi-sensei where are we going?" Sakura asked after receiving significant looks from her sensei.

They'd been leisurely making their way through the village for the pass ten minutes, and any attempt the boys made to get information out of their teacher was met with either a quote from his book or flat out silence.

It took Kakashi closing his book and looking directly at Sakura for them to get the hint that he wanted _her_ to take the intuitive for once.

"Why I never thought _you'd_ ask. We are in fact headed to our next mission," Kakashi stated merrily, his visible eye smiling in delight.

"But the Hospital and the Hokage's Tower is in the opposite direction,"

"Not to worry, I've already picked up the mission scroll and will brief you on the details before we arrive,"

For some reason that didn't put any of the genin at ease.

"And when will that be?" Naruto asked, genuinely confused to why Kakashi would want to keep the mission parameters a surprise.

"Now. Team Seven, your mission is to aid in the physical evaluation of all active and reserve shinobi," Kakashi announced with sadistic joy as he loomed over his three students.

Panic flashed across each of the genins' eyes. They now knew why Kakashi waited until they were right in front of the Hospital before telling them, they would have no where to hide - not that it would make much difference to someone of Kakashi's caliber.

However the true terror came with the realization of how massive an undertaking this mission was going to be. Even with the help of the entire hospital staff, the people attending to active shinobi forces – which included their peers, mentors, and the elderly – was only a mere fraction the numbers they were facing.

"Oh and you have Naruto to thank for this mission, because if he weren't a registered medic-nin we would only have to wait a couple hours or so to be checked, rather than be here for the rest of the day and possibly the whole night," Kakashi interjected before entering building, whistling a jaunty tone.

Outside Naruto smiled disarmingly at his teammates who glares alone looked powerful enough to consume his soul for all eternity.

"Now guys just think doesn't having a medic-nin on your team outweigh this… unfortunate setback," Naruto offered.

But it was shot down… Rather forcibly at that.

"No!" Sasuke and Sakura yelled in tandem as they walked away from Naruto's pummeled persons.

"This is going to be a long day," Naruto griped as he picked himself up and made his way into the hospital.

- Break -

Four figures moved silently and swiftly through the lush forest. They'd been travelling for eight hours at a pace - considered by most shinobi to be a full out sprint – that got them to their destination before sundown when it would have normally taken two days.

"Alright we're just outside the palace thirty minute break before meeting daimyo," a loud voice called out, commanding team to stop.

"Yosh Gai-sensei, you were right we did get here before sundown. I guess Neji-kun here owes you…"

"Absolutely nothing," the brooding teen cut in, cutting Lee off before he could make any inane comments about youth or tests of strength.

"Although Neji you did say that we were destined to take two days to arrive at the capitol," Tenten said in a slightly mocking tone.

The longhaired Hyuuga just turned his patented glared to her inciting a wave of nervous giggles from the bun haired girl.

"However I did not agree to partake in Gai-sensei _bet_," Neji stated with distaste.

"Come now Neji-kun bets are so vulgar, a youthful challenge is a more appropriate term for our agreement," Gai added, finally deeming it time to enter the conversation.

The remaining genin just back and forth between their sensei and teammate, waiting to see who would make the first move. And as it stood Neji, who'd quickly grown tired of the situation, decided to end it before it got any more tiring.

"Look Gai-sensei I agreed to neither partake in your _youthful_ _challenge_ nor with your claim that we would arrive to our destination before the days end. However in your attempts to prove me wrong you have only gone to prove the inevitability that is destiny, for in our haste our appearances have divulged to the point where we are no long fit to go before the daimyo,"

No one missed the chipped tone in which Neji delivered his retort, however instead of arguing back with an equaling unpleasant tone Gai just put on his most sincere smile.

"Neji-kun while you are a natural genius, both in ninja arts and other facets of life, and have correctly pointed out that our current state of appearance would be unbefitting for an audience with a daimyo you have neglected to consider that I have planned for all of this,"

Neji just raised a single eyebrow as if to say 'Well?'.

"In your bags should a few weeks worth of cleaning supplies that I personally requested should be added to your mission equipment," Gai started before pausing.

This was true, and stuck out vividly in each of genins' memories because juxtaposition it had with Gai's normal utilitarian approach to mission equipment.

Seeing that he'd made his point, Gai's smile only widened as he continued on with his explanation.

"Also not far from her is I know of a stream that is passing over a slight overhang. It's nothing fancy, but it will serve as a shower and provide us with the privacy we need during this thirty minutes in which we will use to prepare for the audience with the daimyo I've scheduled at sunset,"

Lee shouted praises to youth while Tenten softly giggled at Neji's face in wake of Gai's response.

"Now with that settled," Gai said before standing up.

"Let your youthful fire burn my young students, and carry out the orders of the day!"

"Yeah!"

"Yosh!"

"Dear Kami how did I end up with this team," the three genin uttered respectively before heading out to the stream.

And thirty minutes later the Gai's Team stood at the front of the Wave Daimyo's estate looking prim, proper, and ready to begin their mission.

"My name is Kengo and I welcome you to my Lord's estate," a petite figure uttered before bowing to the Konoha ninja.

At full height Kengo stood only a few inches taller than Lee and was about a wide around the middle as one of Gai's arms. Although a kind smile adorned his features his cheeks were sullen from lack of food while his eyes drooped the sleep he'd missed. All in all Kengo seemed to embody the exact opposite of what his name implied.

"Thank Kengo-san it is our honor to be here," Gai said as he and his team returned the gesture.

Once the formalities were out of the way, Kengo quickly ushered the Team inside, moving surprisingly fast for someone of his small frame.

Complying Team Gai surrendered their belongs to the servants and quickly fell in stride with Kengo as they made their way through the palace, all the while soaking in the sights in case they need to recall them later.

Their passage through the estate was a quickly one, and before long they found themselves at a pair of matching mahogany double doors decorated with golden Shishi dog doorknockers.

Once at the daimyo's meeting chambers, Kengo reached up to one of the golden doorknockers only to struggle under its weight. Noting this, Gai strode forth and gripped the matching knocker beside the one their attendant was struggling with.

"Allow me," the taijutsu master announced before striking the golden hoop against the mahogany door.

Clank

"Open!" a guard called as the twin doors creaked open, revealing a magnificent throne room.

Twelve guards, all suited in lacquered armor, lined the way leading up to the Wave Daimyo. Beside the Wave Daimyo stood his Captain of the Guard on his right and his Chief Advisor to his left. Outside of them were two empty seats, one representing his late wife and the other his missing son.

"Honored guests, I am Lord Kagen of the Wave, and I welcome you to my home"

"The honor is ours Daimyo-sama," Gai replied in a practiced voice, recalling all his lessons in etiquette from a certain buxom blonde.

"Please please shinobi-san, call me Kagen. Only my subjects refer to me in such I a way. You and I are business partners, and I would rather not tangle that relationship with such arbitrary notions like lordship and station,"

"Arigatou Kagen-sama, but I must decline. If we are to do our job effectively, we must be able to maintain a close distance to your person without drawing notice. Thus playing the role of a subject or vassal is only the most fitting," Gai offered, smiling slightly when he saw the daimyo's nod in agreement.

"I suppose I can allow it if I must," Kagen announced with an indulgent smile.

With a single clap all the guards, vassals, and advisors snapped to attention and as the King rose they all bowed in uniform. Following suit Team Gai bowed as well, but unlike the rest of the people in the room, only Neji watched closely as the Lord departed from the room.

It was then that the subordinate Hyuuga noticed a girl rise from behind the throne and follow after the daimyo. Neji was tempted to activate his Byakugan to check if she was even real, seeing as no one – not the guards, the daimyo, even Gai-sensei – acknowledge her existence. However before he could give in into his temptation, Gai subtly brushed his kimono sleeve breaking his train of thought.

Gai's expression was all the confirmation Neji needed to know that the girl was indeed real, but it still didn't explain why everyone was acting as if she didn't exist.

Before Neji could ask though, Kengo stepped forth.

"The Lord Kagen has retired for the evening, but has commanded that he be given rooms within the palace. They will take some time to prepare, but if you need something to pass the time might I suggest exploring the town while you wait,"

"That sounds excellent Kengo-san, we'll see you in a couple hours," and with that Team Gai departed from the throne room.

- Break -

Sakura was bored, and she had been so for about nine-and-a-half-going-on-ten hours.

If previous visits to the hospital didn't kill her interest in medicine, than this surely had done the trick. It was almost as if the Konoha Hospital the antithesis of all things fun and entertaining. And that didn't come from a lack of trying.

No, Sakura did everything to keep her mind off the all encompassing boring. However after chronologically alphabetizing the patient files for the fifth time she could say with a shadow of a doubt that there was nothing to do.

. Well that was until someone tapped on the counter in front of her.

"Young miss would you mind checking this to see if I have everything filled out?"

'_Finally something to do…_ Oh course let me see the your form," Sakura said courteously before prosing the article.

"It seems your all set except for your name…"

"Okugi Ayatsuri," the man finished for Sakura.

Ayatsuri was short, thin man with grey streaks peppering his tied back red hair and a sharp goatee that jutted out from his narrow chin. Despite his somewhat shrewd features, Ayatsuri's eyes shined with gentle laughter and a kind, mirthful smile tug at the corners of his wrinkled lips.

All in all the elderly man reminded Sakura of her recently departed grandfather.

"Just sign her Okugi-san and I will get one of the medic to see you," Sakura said before handing the form and a pen back to Ayatsuri.

"Thank you and you have a beautiful smile young lady. Would you honor this old man with your name?" Ayatsuri asked as he reached for the offered objects.

Sakura dropped the pen and paper in shock. She hadn't even known she'd been smiling, much less expecting to be called out on it. However her shinobi training kicked in and before she realized it she'd latched a pair of chakra strings on the falling pen and paper, catching them in mid-air.

"Forgive my rudeness Okugi-san, my name is Haruno Sakura, Leaf Genin, and member of Team Seven,"

"And what a fine kunoichi you are, mastering chakra strings at such an age," the elder complimented.

Then with a flick of his wrist both the pen and paper came floating back up towards his hand with a distinct flourish before landing neatly on desk.

Shocked by the display, Sakura blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. However just as Ayatsuri manipulated the pen and paper with chakra strings, he'd also done it while placing his signature on the form.

"How did you do that?"

"Practice my dear. Years and years of practice," Ayatsuri replied with an aged chuckle.

"No it has to be more than that. The only people that skilled with chakra strings are the puppeteers from Suna, and last time I checked we are in Konoha," Sakura announced aloud, growing suspicious of to who this old man was.

However Sakura's serious expression was met with another bout of elderly laughs. Confused and still on guard Sakura waited with baited breath as Ayatsuri called down enough to explain his case.

"Ah the ignorance of youth… Who ever said I wasn't a Suna puppeteer," Ayatsuri remarked with a wry grin.

"As I said before, I am Okugi Ayatsuri former Suna jonin and combat puppeteer. And you my dear have a gift,"

"What are you saying Okugi-san?" Sakura mumbled in confusion.

For as far as she could tell a jonin level spy just revealed himself to her, which either meant that he was tired of hiding as was giving himself up or she was in for the fight of her life…

And she was ready to do just that, fortunately however, as the situation would have it neither of those outcomes were correct.

"Wow there I'm not some spy or something, see look valid identification confirming my story," Ayatsuri added quickly, before handing over the documents.

Sakura tore through them with fervent zeal, looking for any and all suspicious anomalies. And to her surprise she found that Ayatsuri was who he said he was, a permanent resident from Suna, and he had the Hokage's seal to prove it.

"This all checks out, but still…"

"I know you are suspicious Sakura-san, as any true ninja would be… However as you can see my claims are legitimate," Ayatsuri started, motioning to the Hokage's seal.

"I can see that, but I still don't get the point in telling me all of this,"

"Right to the point, I see. Well my point is I am, for all intents and purposes, a political prisoner kept here as part of the treaty between our two villages. My job other than to remain a good, obedient shinobi is to pass down my puppeteer art to some worthy Konoha shinobi."

"And your saying I'm the first person you've come across," Sakura added, finally beginning to understand would Ayatsuri was getting at.

"Not the first, but definitely one with the most potential. You already have a solid understanding of the most basic – and important – technique required to be a puppeteer,"

"Chakra strings," Sakura muttered aloud.

This was her chance. She realized she would never be a close combat specialist like Sasuke, and she didn't have the sheer drive and willpower to do _everything_ like Naruto. However she did have the necessary skill set to do this, and from what Ayatsuri was saying she had the potential to do it well.

"So, what do you say?"

"Can I… Can I get some time to think it over?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

It was a tempting offer, but it wasn't one she wanted to make rashly.

"Of course of course. Here is my address, contact me if you change your mind,"

Absentmindedly Sakura took card and watching idly as Kabuto walked by to escort the old man to his room.

A whirlwind of thoughts flooded her mind, but it wasn't until her inner self emerged did one stick out in particular.

'_Well look at it this way, at least we won't be bored,'_

- Break -

"Finally finished," Naruto uttered as he collapsed back into his chair.

Over the pass ten hours he'd seen countless ninja and spent his time with them verifying their ability to continue the shinobi arts, no regard given to the difference there may be age, preference, or gender. Suffice to say if he never gave another physical in his life it would still be too soon.

Unfortunately luck just didn't seem to be on his side…

"Well I certainly hope you have the patience for one more?"

Turning towards the unfamiliar voice, Naruto was shocked to see that the man before him was half covered in bandages.

"Shimura Danzo, I am here for my physical," the man announced as he placed his cane to the side and had a seat on the examining table.

Naruto immediately tensed at the name, but played it off as a tired yawn. It was impolite, but he couldn't help it. Danzo ordered the attack on Kasumi and on his friends, now he had the gall to approach him face to face.

'_I'll make you regret ever messing with me or the people that I care about,'_ Naruto swore as he bore a hole in the middle of Danzo's head with his mind.

"Well?" the man spoke once again, impatience laden in his tone.

"I must apologize Shimura-san, I couldn't really find a way to state this so I'll just say it. These physicals are only for active and reserve shinobi… _I fucking hate your guts,'_ Naruto replied, keeping a completely neutral face the entire time.

"Rest assured Uzumaki-san that these injuries do not prohibit me from being a ninja. Albeit I am retired, but I still try to remain ready in case my village ever needs me,"

"Of course Shimura-san, however…"

"That won't be necessary. Come now Danzo you know my advisors and I use my private physician for such trivial such as annual physicals," the Third Hokage said lightly, announcing his presence as he stepped through the doorway.

"Then suppose you wouldn't mind me inquiring why you are out here as well?"

Naruto could tell Danzo was baiting them, trying to get a reaction out of either him or the Hokage, but for what reason he could begin to fathom.

"A Hokage must allows put his people first, even in something as small as a check-up. I was merely waiting with the rest of the shinobi corps for my turn," Sarutobi shot back.

Had Naruto known the full history between the two, he would have been sorely tempted to taunt Danzo about obvious 'I'm Hokage' jab the Third just hit him with. Fortunately all Naruto saw was Danzo go stiff for a moment then quickly regain his composure.

"Is that so… Well then I must ask that you depart with me to your physician. I wouldn't want to hold either of your time,"

'_Calling an armistice while performing a tactical retreat… Very clever Danzo, trying to make it so I can't speak with him alone if you can't; well unfortunately for you, I'm the Hokage and I make the rules,'_

"Go on ahead without me. I have a few tagalongs that are eager to see with our young medic here,"

And in the wake of that dismissal, Konohamaru and Jubei came running in from behind the Hokage.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" the two yelled as the each latched onto one of the blonde's legs.

Naruto really didn't want to deal with the two at the moment – no matter how much he missed them - seeing as at the moment, underneath the children's excitement and happy laughter, a nigh-invisible battle was taking place.

"This isn't over," Danzo whispered, just barely audible to Naruto's enhanced hear, before stepping out of the room without so much as a goodbye.

The tension in the air immediately vanished, leaving only the children's oblivious antics to fill the awkward void.

"Come now Konohamaru, Jubei you have seen Naruto. We must be going," Hiruzen finally spoke in a tired voice.

It was the voice of a man who'd face many problems in his day; too many in fact, and still had several more before him. Fortunately for everyone, the future was well worth the trouble in his eyes.

"Ahhh, well at least can't Naruto walk with us," the two chorused pleadingly.

"If willing to accompany us, than I don't see why not,"

Two expecting pairings of eyes turned to him, and Naruto just let out a relenting sigh.

"Sure why not?"

"Good, because there is some people I would like you to meet," the Third announced over the wave of hoorays.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked dumbly, having no idea what he just got himself into.

- In A Nearby Bar -

"Welcome to Karei's," a waitress greeted as Naruto and the Hokage entered.

"A bar?" Naruto said dully, obviously perturbed that no one said anything about the Hokage and him walking into a bar.

Well they had dropped Konohamaru and Jubei off at the Sarutobi estate before making their way here, and Naruto was for all intents and purposes an adult in the eyes of the village.

Plus who was going to question the Hokage's authority to his face?

"Yes, but not just any bar, Karei's has been around since the first war and has been serving the shinobi of this village its finest ever since," the Hokage replied as the made their way through the crowd.

"Serving what," Naruto mumbled, despite having a pretty good idea exactly what the Third was talking about.

Spotting a few familiar face, Naruto couldn't help but feel out of place at the sight of his Rookie Class's jonin sensei getting hammered without a care in the world.

'_Well at least I now know were Kakashi-sensei disappeared to earlier,'_ Naruto noted with a small bit of humor before coming to a stop along side the Third.

"Naruto I'd like you to meet Gouken and Gen, two of my drinking buddies from back since the wars and two of the deadliest people you'll ever meet," Sarutobi announced before pulling up a chair himself at their table.

Gouken, the larger of the two men, was built like a mountain, massive and unmovable. Naruto could tell from his tan skin and bulging muscles that the man spent years undergoing harsh training, which oddly didn't clash at all with his grayed bread and ponytail under his bald head.

Gen, the more refined of the two, was built like a bamboo reed, strong yet flexible. The was a latent grace in all of the old man's movements that greatly belied his age, and his sight of that matter. Since as far as Naruto could tell, all that was under Gen's grey hair and numerous wrinkles were two completely white and blind eyes.

"Sarutobi you old monkey how have you been?" the larger of the two spoke, his equally large voice booming over the crowd.

"Yes, do tell us Hiruzen how have you been? It has been too long since our last meeting," Gen added, before taking a shot of sake.

"Fine, or as fine as this old body will permit, but you two are right it has been too long since our last outing," Sarutobi admitted before taking his first shot.

"That's because last time we went out your lovely wife nearly killed us all for being out so late,"

"Now Gen that could have been avoided hadn't you egged her on with talk about your genin days,"

"It was a joke. How was I supposed to know she didn't want to be reminded of her time spent on a team with Gouken and I? I always thought she loved us?"

"She did, but recalling the time you two let her get tied to a pole during your genin exam wasn't the best way of reminding her of the good days,"

"Well I've had enough remembering for one day. So you gonna tell us who the hell this kid is Sarutobi, or am I going to have keep drinking until he disappears," Gouken interrupted before turning his gaze onto Naruto.

Unsurprisingly Naruto didn't shy away from the gaze, but instead met it headfirst like any of his other challenges.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto Future Hokage! What's it to you old man," Naruto announced before standing up in his chair and onto the table.

Seeing this Gouken stood up as well, his massive height matching Naruto's despite the fact the later was standing up on a chair. For a moment the two just glared in one another's eyes, willing the other to back down.

Then just as it seemed like a fight would break out between the two, Gouken erupted in a fit of laughter.

"I like you kid. You have guts but you have a long way to go before your ready to be Hokage,"

"So! Becoming the Hokage is my dream, I'll fight for it for as long as it takes," Naruto pleaded hotly, his Will of Fire burning brightly in his eyes.

Gouken saw noted that, a silently applauded the blonde for his conviction. However over the years he'd seen many a shinobi claim similar things, and few of them ever lived to see them through.

"Well than you'd better be patient kid, because I've never seen someone become Hokage without at least mastering one taijutsu style," Gouken shot back, before sitting back down and throwing another shot back.

An old drunk he may be, but Gouken was also one of the most renowned taijutsu masters in the land. Spotting the fact that Naruto wasn't practicing a set taijutsu was like reading an open book.

"How did you…?"

"Brat it's written all over you: the way you walk, stand, hell even the way your carrying yourself now screams out that you haven't had an ounce of taijutsu instruction since you left the academy,"

Naruto's cheeks burned hotly at that. As far as he knew, no one he knew was able or willing to teach him taijutsu. So instead of wasting his time practicing incorrect forms, he just continued conditioning and prayed that he stumble across something eventually.

"I…"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch Kid. Sarutobi here brought you too us for a reason," Gouken said, cutting off Naruto's defense before throwing an accusing look to the Monkey summoner.

Said Sarutobi just took another shot of sake before turning his attention onto his old friend.

"Naruto here has a lot of potential, any one can see that. However that potential has attracted the attention of a few parties I'd rather him not deal with just yet,"

"Danzo," Gen uttered seriously, before getting a simple nod in return.

"Yes. My old rival has set his sights on Naruto here, and I can't say it isn't my fault. If only I'd hidden my intent to make him my successor a little better this wouldn't have…"

"Successor!" Naruto shouted, nearly falling out of his seat in the process.

"Yes, after your accident Naruto you've shown remarkable growth along with the right mindset to become Hokage. With a bit of tempering you can be the candidate I need to take my place when it is time for me to step down,"

The Third's confession shook the foundations of Naruto's world. Many tolerated Naruto's claims of becoming Hokage, hell some even grudgingly accepted it, but none had ever openly supported his dream.

"So I you planned to introduce us to him, in hopes that one of us see what you had planned for the boy and take him under our wing to help," Gouken theorized aloud, before turning a glare onto his old friend.

"You know I don't like to be manipulated,"

"Yes, and that is why I'm leaving the final decision up to you rather than ordering you to teach him," Hiruzen stated simply before downing another shot.

Seconds ticked away like hours as the two taijutsu masters debated Naruto's fate, and for a moment Naruto wondered if being the chosen successor to the Hokage was worth all of the nerve wrecking anxiety.

"Well seeing as the kid had me at 'Becoming the Hokage is my dream', I guess I'll take him," Gouken announced, breaking up all the nervous energy in the air.

'_Definitely worth it,'_ Naruto concluded as he sank back into his chair.

"Well since that is settled, do we initiated the boy as your newest pupil or are those two young women spying on our young friend here a more pressing concern?" Gen announced before pointing to over Naruto' should with one hand and downing his drink with the other.

Whipping his head around, Naruto looked just in time to see Hinata jump back in shock before trying to hide her face behind a menu. Ignoring the old men's heckling Naruto beckoned the madly blushing heiress and his fiery haired roommate over to where he was sitting.

"Hinata what are you do here?" Naruto asked in a kind voice.

"Well… You see… I was just…" Hinata stuttered helplessly, wondering what was the best way to tell the person she admired that she was stalking them.

"I asked her to help me keep you when we noticed you leave the hospital without your team," Kasumi cut in, lowering her own menu and making eye contact with the blonde.

The fox woman was not pleased, that much Naruto was certain. However he was in the presence of the Hokage, no one could touch him without incurring the wrath of the Legendary Professor and his personal legion of Anbu.

Somehow sensing Naruto's train of thought, Kasumi let out a sigh before deciding that Naruto wouldn't understand why they chose to follow him without it being explained to him.

"We saw you leave with the Hokage-sama, and wondered what could have been so important that the village leader needed to come get you personally,"

"We were worried that there might have been trouble so we followed after you two just in case," Hinata finished passionately. Realizing that she'd just spoken out of turn, in front of the Hokage no less, the girl's timid nature returned full force and she tried admired to disappear into her chair.

"Hmmm your new pupil has two young ladies, a Hyuuga and Uzumaki at that, chasing after him. I must say Gouken, I am jealous of your fortune," Gen announced after a long moment of silence.

"What are you saying Gen?" Gouken asked, just as curious to what his old friend was talking about as everyone else.

"I'm saying that a pupil's luck reflects his masters and if your pupil has beautiful women concerned for his wellbeing it is only a matter of time before the same starts to happen to you," Gen shot back.

"Well too bad, you should have taken him when you had a chance," Gouken taunted, although internally he liked the idea of beautiful women chasing after him in droves.

"No it is you who is at a loss for I am going to one up you, and take both of these young ladies as my pupils,"

"Demo Gen-san…"

"Please refer to me as Gen-sensei, Hyuuga-san," Gen corrected.

"Demo Gen-san, I don't think…"

"We're not learning from an old letch like you," Kasumi interjected before Gen could cut Hinata off again.

"Young lady you seem to think you have a choice," Gen said simply as he sipped his sake.

"What was that?" Kasumi added dangerously.

Hadn't she already dedicated her youki to making her body 'real', Kasumi would undoubtedly summoned her demonic energies to smear Gen across the walls.

"What I mean is, because of your relationship with this boy – what it may be – you will always be in danger. What's more is that you are both inheritors to notable clan's making you both even more enticing targets,"

Neither girl could deny his claim, seeing as the memories of kidnapping and assault served as irrefutable proof in his favor.

"So me taking you in as pupils is merely my way of ensuring that none of that happens,"

"Arigatou Gen-san, but I am already being instructed in taijutsu by my father Hiashi," Hinata offered, trying to politely deny Gen's offer.

"Ah so you are the Heiress to the Main Branch. Tell me, how is my old student doing,"

Hinata's shocked face spoke volumes unto itself.

"I suppose you wouldn't know that considering how taboo it is to bring up excommunicated members of your clan. However once upon a time, I assure you I was in fact a Hyuuga,"

"Excommunicated? I never knew one could be allowed to leave the clan with…"

"Their life," Gen finished for the young Heiress, much to her gratitude.

The thought of death, especially of those close to her, still made her uneasy.

"Normally the you would be right to think that the clan wouldn't allow it, otherwise the Branch House would left long ago. However as a former Main House member, I was given the option of leaving the clan with the promise to aid the it whenever called and at the cost of sealing my Byakugan,"

Hinata gasped aloud. The Byakugan was the pride of the Hyuuga, and although Hinata wasn't particularly fond of the practices used to protect the legendary doujutsu, she knew the price of sealing it away was far steeper than what it was to guard it.

"Yes I should have died during the sealing, but somehow I survived, forcing the clan to live up to their end of the bargain. And since they are too proud to acknowledge my existence, let alone call me for aid, I have lived a free existence ever since,"

Hinata bit the inside of her mouth at the situation before her. Undoubtedly Gen told her all of this so that she could study under him without repercussion, under the pretenses that she – as an extension of the clan - was requesting his aid. Aid that he was honor bound to give.

"I can tell you are conflicted Hinata, but let me ask you this. Do you love Jyuuken?"

Hinata stiffened ever so slightly, but even without his Byakugan it was as apparent as the full moon in the sky to Gen.

"Judging by your reaction I'd wager no. It's alright I share the feeling, because for something named after its gentle ways the style itself is cold and stiff like our family,"

"But how can I change my family if I can't even prove myself to them," Hinata argued back.

To everyone else it'd become apparent that this was no longer a debate on whether or not Hinata wanted to be taught, but was now a discussion on whether or not she was ready to forge her own way.

"You must show them in the only way they understand…"

"Strength," the girl finished quietly.

Letting at a trembling sigh, Hinata then realized what she must do. Through Jyuuken alone she would never amass the strength and skills needed to truly succeed her father as head of the clan. She would need to blend to her strengths – medicine and her skill with the sai – with what Gen had to teach her if she even wanted a chance of making her dream come true.

"So will you accept my tutelage?" Gen asked again.

"Ano Gen-sensei… I accept and request your tutelage as Heir to the Hyuuga Clan," Hinata uttered, set in motion a great change for her clan.

How great was still too far ahead to determine.

"Excellent, and you Uzumaki-san?" Gen asked with a raised eyebrow

Kasumi just grumbled at the man's cheek. She didn't have any outstanding clan conflicts with the man, but his wise-but-dirty-old-man act really irked her for some reason. However Kasumi knew how valuable an offer like this was, and there was also the fact that she wouldn't leave Hinata alone in this pervert's clutches – even if they were family.

"I guess," Kasumi proclaimed lamely, before suffering tinnitus from the cheers around her.

Glaring at Naruto, the main offender, Kasumi just relaxed into her chair before reaching for the sake.

Right before it was dutifully snatched away.

"Drinking at this time of night is not becoming of a lady your age, and as your sensei I must insist that you head home we have an early day ahead of us at dawn,"

"What?" Kasumi cried, already regretting her decision.

"Yes I agree totally, you drunk isn't a good idea," Naruto chimed before rising from his seat.

However before he could make his way to the door with the two girls. A surprisingly strong hand gripped the back of his collar.

"Not so fast. We still have to celebrate your appointment as successor," Sarutobi announced as he brought forth a huge jug of sake.

"But, but… I'm underage!"

"But, but why does he get to drink!" Naruto and Kasumi stuttered at the same time.

The three old men just smiled sagely, and before they could spout some sort of bullshit Kasumi looped her arm under Hinata's and stomped out of the bar angrily while Naruto was roped into his first shot.

Needless to say it was a long night.

- Break -

A country a way Gai looked up into the clear night sky, a displeased scowl etched on his normally open and expressive face. He and his team were currently staying out in town, opting out of returning to the daimyo's palace what they witnessed during their tour around town.

However as impolite as refusing the Lord of the Land's hospitality may have been, Gai doubted he could have spent a second in the man's presence without feeling the overwhelming urge to drive his foot through his teeth.

'_That man eats and lives like a King while his people suffer,'_ Gai thought with clenched fists.

Being just a taijutsu master, Gai didn't know the struggles and pressures of being a Lord. However he knew it was a Daimyo's job to protect his people, whether it was from starvation or from foreign powers.

Gatou, the head of a multi-million ryou shipping agency, was causing just that and was nothing more than a cancer slowly killing off all the innocent lives within Wave country.

The Green Beast in him wanted to track down Gatou like the dog he was and make him pay for the crimes he'd committed against this country. However the smell of iodine and blood reminded him he had other – more pressing – matters to attend to.

"Gai-sensei the physician said he's down all he can, but without any medical supplies he doubts Kaiza-san will make it passed the holiday," Neji informed the jonin, his discomfort hidden behind his stoic mask.

Gai could tell that the situation perturb Neji, mainly because he knew that the people of the Wave's situation remained the young prodigy of his own life within the Hyuuga Clan. However Gai didn't speak of his observation to the boy, and instead went to find the head of the household.

Tazuna, an architect who recently came under fire from Gatou for constructing a bridge to the mainland, was comforting his daughter and grandson who had come to see Kaiza as husband and father figure.

Upon noticing Gai, the old bridge builder back rifling through his back and pulled out a few bills before tentatively offering them up to the taijutsu master.

"Look I know it isn't much, but this is all I can give as thanks for your help today,"

Gai sharp headshake was all the refusal the old drunk needed.

"We're not here for your money, and besides you should be thanking my students. It was their quick thinking and actions that saved your son-in-law's life,"

"Well let them know they have my eternal thanks,"

Inwardly Gai allowed himself a small moment of pride to reflect on his team's youthful display earlier.

Neji, who noticed a large crowd forming, quickly turned on his Byakugan to investigate, spotting the heavily injured Kaiza being hoisted up onto a stake. Thinking quickly the boy signaled for Tenten to cover the area in smoke bombs while Lee, having just removed his weights, ran through the chaos like a green blur and saved Kaiza before the men could do any more damage.

Their action more than likely saved his life, but also put Gai in a very precarious position.

Kaiza needed medical attention, but with Gatou still on the look out for him no place within Wave country would be safe. This made sending him to Konoha the only viable option, however in doing such Tazuna would a sponsor to explain the situation to the Hokage in order to have the fees and clearance procedures waived.

That would almost certainly end with another team being sent back with Tazuna on his return trip and would undoubtedly been seen as a sign of hostility by Gatou, which Gai knew would push the already fever pitch tensions in area over the edge resulting in catastrophe that could endanger his client.

Drawing in a deep breath, Gai then knew what he had to do.

Quickly penning a note with a few code phrases onto a piece of paper, Gai bit his lip and stamped the blood onto the paper as his seal.

"Here," the man said as he handed the paper to Tazuna.

"Take this to Konoha, there you will find aid for your son-in-law as well as an escort back here,"

Tazuna wordless took the paper before locking eyes with the taijutsu master. The message that passed between them took less than a moment but was as dire as the situation around them.

The die was cast, and they were now in a gamble for their lives…

Read and Review

A/N: First off I'd like to thank you all for reading. 100k words in and we're just not getting out of the introduction arc. Believe me when I say the pace will be picking up, and I'll be done with Part one of whole fic in somewhere between 7-9 chapters. So basically we're half way there.

Moving on I'd like to draw attention to a special cameo in my fic. (With the author's permission) The Lovely Hachi Hani will be joining the cast as a guest character from the brilliant mongrelssister's Beeuty and the Beast fic. Serious if you haven't read it, then do! The character development is something we all should aspire to and the plot definitely keeps me coming back for more.

As for those of you who have read her works, the deviations between her casting here and her canon (for should I say fanon?) role are the fallout of her fated mission with Nishin and the fact that Mikoto is now her older stepsister (as opposed to another jonin from the original work). Aside from that, few of her relationships with other characters will change do to the change in timing of her appearance, but nothing too crazy I hope.

As for the other two cameo's, well if you play Street Fighter well then you should recognize them and if you don't the wiki article on Gen and Gouken should give you all the information you need on them and their fighting styles. Personality wise I think of Gen as a cross between the typical old kung fu sensei and Kensei Ma from History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. Gouken on the other hand is somewhere between his Street Fighter personality and Hayato Furinji from History's Strongest Disciple.

I'm also willing to admit I do think the best part of the chapter was their introduction, and Sarutobi's subsequent admission that he saw a successor in Naruto before getting them all piss drunk. Mainly because it seems like something like that could only happen to Naruto, who wanted nothing other than to leave at the time.

**OC Corner**

Considering that their were a lot of characters introduced in this chapter, I thought it would at least be helpful to point out just like to point out f the meaning that can be associated with the original characters' names.

Kengo

Meaning: Strong, Firm, or Solid

Kagen

Meaning: Flowery words or source of misfortune

Okugi Ayatsuri

Meaning: Hidden Purpose, To Pull Strings (conjugated stem form)

**New Jutsu **

**Nehan no jutsu **(Nirvana Technique): _D-class Genjutsu_: A low level relaxing genjutsu that slows the target's chakra circulation. This technique is often used in a medical setting and can be used to sedate patients when either aesthetics are unavailable or are ill advised for usage. Higher levels of this technique ca be used to pacify whole crowds and is often used in riot control.

That's all for this chapter. The next two should finish this arc and I'm considering having the titles linked to one another as a hint to what going to happen. Anyway till next time.

Black Saint

Completed 07/28/10


	10. What Lies Beyond The Rubicon

"Talking"

'_Thinking'_

"**Demon Talking"**

'_**Demon Thinking'**_

Don't own Naruto, never will yadda yadda yadda

* * *

Chapter Ten: What Lies Beyond The Rubicon

* * *

Hiruzen pinched his nose in frustration. After rereading the coded message for the third time, he could see why Gai was so conflicted about requesting aid.

The Wave was on its way to a meltdown, whether it be an economic collapse or civil war that was still left to be determined, and his forces in the dead center of all of it. And if that weren't bad enough pulling out seemed to be the worst option.

While it was true that Konoha was a major ninja village, and often got their hands dirty just like any of the four other major villages. As it stood they made most of their profit by coming off as the 'good guy village'.

It was a bit of an oxymoron but with former public defenders such as the Uchiha Police and the grandfatherly image his 'Professor' title still garnered around the world, many customers travelled far and wide to employ Konoha's aid, even if they cost more.

However instead of helping Konoha, now these assesses only served to compound her problems. Because not only would the Fire Daimyo, and by proxy Konoha, lose face by refusing service to the Wave's Daimyo but when the eventual collapse broke out would seem as though Konoha not only fled at the first sign of danger but also they abandoned the helpless masses within the Wave to their fates.

The destabilization in the Wave would either lead to the one of the major villages, most likely the Lightning or the Mist, to expand their territory as well as decrease the funds flowing into Konoha's coffers because of bad publicity.

Truly Sarutobi didn't know what was worse; Konoha losing a valuable seaport to the Cloud slash land foothold to the Mist, or the fact that he didn't have a single Anbu team suitable for the job.

Suppressing a sign the aged Hokage realized he and his predecessors' complacency with the growing unrest in the Uchiha had come back to bite him.

Not only had Konoha lost one of its famed fighting forces, and subsequently a strong deterrent to war, but also the village wide security the Uchiha provided free up a lot of Konoha's forces for missions. With them gone the duty fell to his Anbu corps, which lead to slips in security that his enemy Danzo seemed to be capitalizing on.

"Well no more," the Third vowed as flared his chakra, signaling his Anbu to come in.

"See that Maito-san's petition for Wave inhabitants is met, they have complete access to our health facilities and temporary lodging until further notice. Also alert the Council that an emergency meeting will be taking place within the hour, but send for Uchiha Mikoto first,"

"What am I to tell her sir?" the Anbu chimed in, noticing the lulled in the Hokage's speech.

"Tell her that its time to put our plan into action,"

* * *

Gatou sat quickly as he assessed the men before him. They were shinobi, missing-nin in fact, and were some of the best that money could buy.

And as such they already had his scorn.

Gatou was not an impressive man. That fact coupled with his humbled origins as the son of a swine herder; lead him to his love of money. In his eye money didn't discriminate against him because of his short stature and weak frame, nor did money did laugh in his face because of his social standing.

However he found that money did in fact buy power, fame, and women, which were the three things that any man could measure themselves' by. With money Gatou felt himself to be a titan among boys, despite the fact he was physically the weakest, and with money he was able to take hold of all things important to him.

And currently what was important to him was acquiring a complete monopoly of Wave Country, but a certain bridge and its builder were preventing that.

He tried bribes, threats, and even a public execution, but the bridge builder either refused his offerings or ignored his threats, and even stopped the execution before fleeing town with his family.

So when news from Konoha reached him that Tazuna, the irksome bridge builder, would be coming back to the Wave Gatou decided that it was time to take up his own Leaf ally's advice.

The result was a large amassing of bandits, thugs, and mercenaries from all corners of the Country, and some from outside the country, that were to be lead by three highly trained Shinobi before him.

"Gentlemen I trust that we are in full agreement with the terms laid out in the contract," Gatou began, doing a remarkable job of hiding his distaste for the men before him.

"Yes, 100 million ryou each is very generous sum for just the death of one bridge builder. So generous in fact, that I almost certain you will run out without paying me," the shinobi on the left stated.

He was by far the youngest and most inexperienced of the three, however what he lacked in skill and experience he made up with power. The power of the Nidaime Hokage's own sword to be exact.

"Now Aoi-san, what type of businessman would I be if I ran out of my contract? I would never be able to make another deal if word got out,"

"A damn sneaky one that's what. Half now and half later, that's the only way to ensure that you won't run out on us," the middle shinobi called out much to Gatou's ire.

"And risk you leaving with 50 million ryou. That in itself is worth more than this country's daimyo, and is more than enough to buy a small army. But you would know all about that won't you Zabuza?" Gatou argued back.

"I could just kill you and take the money if that's what you're suggesting," the masked man snapped back causing the samurai guarding Gatou to tense.

This caused the three masked nin behind Zabuza to tense, which in turn caused the team of Rain genin behind Aoi to shift uneasily.

It didn't take a genius to realize that one false move and every one in the room could possibly end up dead, but some how the tension was lost on the last shinobi commander in the room.

"Hahaha such anger. It's almost like a bomb in here un?" the man offered between fits of chuckles, turning all the attention on to him.

"What was that blondie?" Zabuza barked turning his attention onto the laughing ninja.

"Nothing of importance Zabuza, Deidara was merely commenting on how tense it was," Gatou answered quickly, in spite of the blonde teen's ever growing grin.

The shinobi in question was fairly young, tall, and dressed in a black trench coat decorated in red clouds. He was an Iwa missing nin, and if his lack of teammates was any indicator, he seemed to be very confident in his skills.

However the thing that irked Zabuza the most about him was the fact that he was the first to be offered this job. While paranoia and inability to trust went hand in hand with becoming a missing nin, the fact that Gatou and this man had a meeting prior to the briefing now was too suspicious to overlook.

"Well then he should speak for himself rather than hide behind others," Zabuza shot back, wanting to have the last word in the conversation.

Unfortunately in doing such, he severely underestimated Deidara patience and good humor.

Before the famed swordsmen of the Mist could even react, Deidara had a hand covering his mouth and the other tightly reigning in his sword arm.

"Now now Zabuza you need to close your mouth, otherwise something unpleasant my fly in," Deidara taunted as his opponent's senses caught up to him.

It didn't take long for Zabuza to react, but by then something had already wormed by the bandages over his mouth.

"Did your hand just fucking kiss me you freak!" the ex-Mist shinobi growled as he stared at seemingly laughing mouth in the center of Deidara's palm.

"Come now Zabuza did you forget what I said already,"

"Why you-"

"Zabuza-sama!"

A small but powerful hand stopped the sword nin in his tracks.

"Now may not be the best time," the owner of the hand uttered quietly.

Tracing the appendage to the mask face of his own personal hunter nin, Zabuza realized that was getting ahead of himself and would likely lose their contract if he continued to bicker with the ex-Iwa nin.

"Well then gentlemen if that will be all, Deidara-san and I have something to discuss," Gatou announced after a moment of awkward silence.

Sensing the cue Aoi and his rain subordinates left without a word, content with the knowledge that they would be splitting 100 million ryou four ways if all went well.

Zabuza on the other hand paused for a moment before leaving with an angry huff, mentally vowing that at the first chance he would have both their heads.

* * *

Several servants quickly turned the other way when the spotted the young Hyuuga and his companions coming their way again. Undeterred Neji stalked the daimyo's estate like a man on a mission.

His goal, to find that girl that no one seemed to acknowledge was there.

At first his search stemmed from mild curiosity, however after observing countless retainers and vassal shift uncomfortably under his inquiry before dashing off under some lame excuse that curiosity turned into something greater.

"Neji can you give it a rest. Maybe you were just seeing things," Tenten begged, having been dragged around all over the compound for the greater part of the day.

"And I guess all the servants' were just avoiding my questions because they don't know anything," Neji shot back sarcastically.

"Urg! Why are you so obsessed with this! So what if you saw some girl? She's probably on a mission just like we are and the retainers in the castle are forbidden to speak about it,"

"Tenten understand this. Our mission is to protect the Wave daimyo at all costs, and to do this we need to know about everything that comes close to the daimyo. Otherwise, we could be faced with a political disaster of unimaginable proportions, and truthfully I take my missions seriously enough to check any and all threats,"

Tenten's face burned in indignation at the slight, but knew that yelling at her teammate would do nothing but prove to him she was just as childish as he implied. Instead she decided to play his game.

"Fine! Continue your search, mean while Lee and I will assist Gai with protecting the daimyo," Tenten all but growled before stalking off leaving a smug Neji and confused Lee in her wake.

Lee just stared at Neji; debating the merits of telling his teammate how unyouthful his comments were to Tenten and how he would have to deal with an irate weapons mistress eager to let off some steam.

"Lee!"

Unfortunately that decision was made for him. And Lee quickly followed after Tenten without so much as a word to Neji, less he end up at the wrong end of a kunai.

Waiting until his teammates were out of range, Neji activated his Byakugan without so much as a word or handseal. Mentally the prodigy remained himself to keep his search quick.

The reason for his haste was many people weren't comfortable with the Hyuuga's ability to see through doors, walls, and particularly clothes. Many considered it an evasion of privacy and to deter any potential backlash the Hyuuga Council deemed any use of the Byakugan outside of training and mission work taboo.

Not that his work now wasn't mission related, however he would have a hard time explaining himself if someone were to report back to Gai about his little person reconnaissance.

"Hello there," a chipper voice called out from Neji's blind spot.

Whirling around, the longhaired prodigy launched a Jyuuken strike before he even got a good look at the stranger. Unfortunately for him his victim was more prepared than he thought, and with practiced ease slid by Neji's blow before planting a quickly elbow into his sternum knocking the wind out of him.

Feeling the telltale signs of chakra lancing through his body, Neji wondered where his opponent could have learned Jyuuken?

'_No matter, she won't be a match for me,'_ Neji assured himself, only to fight that his opponent's attack wasn't aimed at his chakra coils or organs. Instead the chakra bounced throughout his chest muscles, vibrating his very bones, before echoing throughout the rest of his body.

Neji felt his whole body relax before his head started to rattle and he lost his footing and fell back in an ungraceful heap.

Looking up, the humbled body noticed that there was something incredibly familiar about his opponent before realization hit him.

"You-You're the girl from before," Neji stuttered from the ground, their meeting not going as he envisioned it.

"Yes, and you should have listened to your teammate,"

"Who are you, what did you do to me, and how did you slip by my Byakugan?" Neji listed coolly, totally ignoring the girl's previous comment.

"Why I always thought it was polite for one to introduce themselves before asking personal questions, Hyuuga Neji,"

"Well it seems you already know who I am," Neji ground out, not liking the girl's tone.

Nor the fact that he still hadn't regained control over his body.

"And that I should, seeing as I am the daimyo's personal bodyguard and last line of defense. Kokoro is the name,"

"Kokoro… No family name,"

"A shield needs no recognition, its only duty is to protect its owner," the girl replied without faltering.

"Still-"

"Let me help you," the girl said, cutting Neji off before lowering a glowing palm onto the boy.

The same echoing sensation from before rippled through his body, only this time instead of loosening his muscles it returned all tension back to his arms and legs.

Neji bit back a yell as the sudden tension caused his legs and arms to cramp all at one.

"Sorry should have warned you about that… Can you move?" Kokoro asked, while offering Neji a hand.

Nobly trying to weather his own weight himself, Neji found that he was still too weak do so. Taking the girl's hand Neji mumbled a small thanks as she lifted him, something she wisely chose not to comment on.

"You never answered my question,"

"Which one?"

Realizing that the unusually bright girl was getting dodgy Neji chose decided to steer the conversation to safer waters.

"What did you do to me, and how did you avoid my Byakugan. Not many ninja can disable a skilled Hyuuga with taijutsu, let alone sneak up on one,"

"A bit arrogant I see. Well first off I'm not a ninja-"

"Impossible! How else did you avoid my Byakugan!" Neji raised his voice in protest, refusing to believe that Kokoro wasn't a ninja.

Any other explanation didn't make sense. The stealth required to get into the Byakugan's blind spot and stay there was beyond that of a civilian, hell even most samurai, but her taijutsu had a chakra component within it that scream ninja to the boy's senses.

"Oh that. I really didn't avoid it. You just overlooked me," Kokoro chimed in happily before pulling a dull metal necklace from underneath her kimono.

"This medallion completely cloaks my chakra from all forms of scrying, detection, or enhanced vision,"

Realizing that he'd lost control over his doujutsu when his opponent struck him, Neji reactivated the famed Byakugan. However instead of seeing Kokoro's illuminated chakra coils all he could see was the faded outline of the girl.

It was as if he where staring right through her.

'_No wonder I overlooked her…_ I see, but that still doesn't explain your ability to use chakra,"

"Ever arrogant, but it's not your fault, most ninja are. Anyway to answer your question, my technique comes from a samurai clan. And not the ronin that wander most of smaller countries, but the true samurai clans from the Land of Iron. Their technique, the Hibikiken (Echoing Fist), is used to bypass the protection on armored opponents in case they are ever disarmed in combat,"

"Brilliant, the chakra flows through the armor rather than try to pierce it allowing it to rattle the unprotected body within. I'm also guessing that since I didn't have any armor the resonance from your attack was only strong,"

"Wow your pretty sharp, but not quite. The fact that I was able to land a clean blow onto your body was the reason the resonance was so strong. The style it own as the Echoing Fist for a reason, and without a clear strike an echo can't be made,"

"So all I have to do is deflect your blows, better yet avoid contact with you all together and you are powerless," Neji thought aloud, finally feeling his strength return to him.

Look down on the young girl, he found that despite his height, pedigree, and announcement of her weakness, the mischievous light still hadn't left her eye.

"I suppose, but I doubt you are good enough to do so," Kokoro shot back before turning about face and disappearing into a corridor.

Neji remained stalk still, unable to think of a suitable retort for the girl. Realizing belatedly that he'd gotten his wish and found out more about the mysterious girl, he settled for returning to his team and continuing their patrols of the mansion.

Now only if he could get the girl out of his head…

* * *

Uchiha Mikoto was nervous.

Ever since the massacre she wondered to herself why she of all people had been spared. While not a conspirator herself, she was definitely aware of the murmurings of rebellion growing within her clan. Failing to report such knowledge was treasonous at best, and she was certain once that if found out she would end up locked in a cell for the rest of her life.

Surprisingly however the Hokage had none of that. While her negligence was acknowledge and met with the serious dressing down, as well as the hanging threat of execution if it ever happened again, Mikoto did note that the Hokage was genuinely remorseful for her loss.

Which helped, considering that the only reason she was still alive was because she was still useful to the village. A use, which in fact was the reason that the Hokage called the emergency meeting, and was about to be revealed to the whole village.

"Council members, thank you for arriving on such short notice. A grave matter has arisen within our beloved village," the Third began.

His tone sagely and comforting, despite the severity of his words. It was then that Mikoto realized that she was in the presence of a master, both on and off the battlefield, and was not a man to be trifled with.

"Just over a month ago a great misfortune befell our own, and the Uchiha Clan has been reduced to only a handful of children, its heir, and its matriarch,"

A wave of polite, but not quite sympathetic, nods was given to the Hokage and Mikoto. While the full truth of the matter was kept from public knowledge, the shinobi veterans and clan heads that made up the emergency council knew of the Uchiha's mutinous attitude.

Luckily Hokage and his advisors quelled the rumors of the attempted coup, otherwise only thing Mikoto would have heard were calls for her execution.

"While the village will survive this tragedy, as it always has in the pass, the storm is not over. For unrest grows everywhere, even within our own walls,"

That got the council's attention. War was the first thing that came to everyone's mind, and more precisely who would be looking for one now that the Sharingan, and the powerful deterrent it represented, was now all but extinguished from Konoha.

Mutterings of Iwa, Kumo, and even the Ame reached the Hokage's ears, all of which merely music to the man's ears. While not a fear nor warmonger, Hiruzen knew the power such tactics held over his people.

And they were not something he was afraid to exploit as long as the circumstances were right.

Giving one last lingering glance at his old rival, Sarutobi drew the council's attention back onto himself before continuing on with his speech.

"On our eastern border, the Wave is on the verge of collapse and with that destabilization of the area creates a danger for Konoha," the Third said, and as predicted several of the ninja came to the same conclusion he did.

Either the aggressive Raikage would expand southward or the bloodied Mist would gain a foothold on the mainland.

"What of the Anbu? Isn't there a black opts division created solely for this purpose?" Hiashi wondering why the Hokage would bring up a problem that should already been solved.

"Yes normally the Anbu would the first one dispatched to handle a situation a delicate as this one, the attention of the council would only be summoned if something went terribly wrong…"

Hiruzen paused to let the implications of his words sink in. Doggedly the seated members all murmured amongst themselves.

"However in this case there have been anomalies within the Anbu corp. While most can be equated to additional duties taken up after the Uchiha Massacre, more serious incidents like attacks on civilians and our own ninja have been reported. So suffice to sway with such rogue units within my most trusted corps, having Anbu handle this Wave incident will only lead to a serious debacle,"

The way the Hokage worded the scenario, it seemed as if the culling of the Uchiha set off a chain of events that were more far reaching than anyone could have imagined. Not only had the loss left on opening within the village security, but also by filling that opening with the Anbu corps, a traitor managed to wiggle their way into the ranks.

With that the meeting hall became dead silent, no one wanting to be even remotely implicated with such treasonous actions.

"What do you intend to do Hokage-sama?" Danzo spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.

It was a calculated risk, if the Hokage somehow acquired evidence linking him back to the attack he was just tying his own noose, however on the other hand if that wasn't the case than he would probably walk away from this meeting with his most of his Root Cell intact.

"My intention is to create a police force comprised of the villages reserve forces to replace the Uchiha Police. This will free up the Anbu force who have been moved to patrol the city to deal with any internal or external problems that will arise,"

"Hokage-sama what are the individual clans obligation to the new force,"

"When will be up and running?"

"Who will lead the new division?"

Danzo sat quietly as similar questions began to spring up left and right, silently fuming at each idea. Already the council accepted the Hokage's actions without a fight, which in turn meant that his own private forces, which he'd painstakingly spent years moving into the advantageous position they were in now, would be force to going into deep cover.

While he was not concerned so much with the loyalty of his troops while they went into sleeper status, the fact that Hokage changed the playing field of their game so abruptly made it impossible for him to counter.

It was almost as if Hiruzen had been setting this trap for him since the beginning.

Idly listening to the Hokage explain that each clan would be obligated to share at least a small set percentage of their kinsmen to the new police force, and that each member would be given a generous stipend on top of any other payments they would receive, a light went off in Danzo's head.

"Hokage-sama there is still the pressing concern of the Wave matter, as well as who will run this new coalition force you are creating,"

The Third knew a set up when he saw one, and he could tell that Danzo was moving to place his own shinobi as back up for Gai while position himself to be elected as the commander for the new police force. Either of which would be a disaster as giving Danzo the keys to the village's new security system would only magnify his current problems, while allowing any of his agents outside the village to potentially set up a remote base of operations would be equally problematic.

No, Sarutobi would stop at nothing to defeat Danzo here and now.

"Thank you for your concern veteran Shimura, but I have already selected a number of teams to escort the bridge builder in question back to the Wave as well as another just in case additional assistant is required,"

"And the-"

"The position of Police Head will be filled by Uchiha Mikoto. Her time has deputy has afforded her intimate knowledge with the previous police force's infrastructure, which will be vital to getting operations up and running before the upcoming Chunin Exams. However if you are willing to come out of retirement Shimura-san, I can assure you a position as deputy will always be open to you within the force," the Hokage concluded after cutting Danzo off.

The bandaged man paused as he collected his thoughts, many seeing it as him considering the Hokage's offer, and in a sense he was. They both knew Hiruzen was setting a trap for him, one that would try to ensnare him and reveal his traitorous actions if he took the job or push him further away from power and severely cripple his movements if he didn't.

"Then I see you have taken everything into account Hokage-sama, I will gladly accept the post as deputy to Uchiha-san," Danzo worded smoothly, knowing that the game was set.

Now all the Hokage could do was pray that everything would play out in his favor.

* * *

Kakashi hummed playfully as he perused another line from Jiraiya's masterpiece from his lofty branch perch, from which could just make out the sounds of his students trying their best to kill one another.

What started as a simple training exercise, just locating and tagging him, had once again descended into fistfuls of chaos and general mayhem between teammates. Giggling at the thought – or maybe particularly good line from his book – Kakashi knew that such a result was inevitable given the personalities on his team.

From an objective standpoint Sasuke, the ever perpetually pissy prodigy, was always looking to prove himself as the best; and Naruto, the current up-and-comer, was making that goal rather difficult. So when he pitted the two against one another, with Sakura and Kasumi acting as back up for each of their respective boys, it wasn't long before the two lost sight of their objective at hand and began fighting one another.

Remarkably however, it wasn't the boys who immediately sought out each other – well Naruto at least – but it was Kasumi who headed off Sasuke as soon as the fighting broke out.

'_Ansatsuken Gi Ryuu (Murderous Fist Hateful Style)__… I seems Gen-san's training has been showing results,'_ Kakashi intoned as Kasumi weaved through a gauntlet of punches as if she were just dancing by herself in the mirror.

The Ansatsuken Gi Ryuu was one of the two styles Gen developed after being exiled from the Hyuuga clan. It, unlike its sister style, took all the anger and resentment that Gen had for his former family and embodied into a style that was almost exact opposite of Jyuuken but still drew from its teachings.

And judging from Kasumi's mocking smile she'd learned well indeed.

Sasuke was not amused, Kakashi noted from the boys powerful glare, and with a determined shout the Uchiha Heir charged his opponent yet again.

Kakashi could almost see Sasuke's unspoken desire for his Sharingan to evolve yet again. Unfortunately for him though, the third tomoe did appear and grant him the precognition he so desperately desired, and instead of pummeling her with his Goken he found that Gen's subtle school of taijutsu was more than match for Gai's teachings.

Seeing that taijutsu would likely be a fruitless venture, Sasuke decided to switch to his other specialty, ninjutsu.

'_Now this should be interesting,'_ Kakashi thought as he watched Sasuke flit through the handseals for a fire jutsu.

The boy, being an Uchiha and natural to ninjutsu, performed the jutsu without a hitch but Kakashi was more interested in Kasumi's reaction. He been briefed, albeit partially, on Kasumi by the Hokage and was curious to see what she could do. So curious in fact, it was one of the reasons he allowed her to participate in this exercise.

The other being a direct order from the Commander and Chief himself.

So far however her specs where just as the Hokage described: an incredible potential for taijutsu, but severely lacking in the chakra control department.

'_Could be a family thing,'_ the jonin noted. Recalling that Naruto, and his late mother Kushina, both having that problem.

However much to Kakashi's surprise Naruto's chakra signature flared up broadcasting the telltale signs of a jutsu being formed.

"Kasumi switch!" the blonde cried out from across the field as he put the finishing touches on a water jutsu.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Violent Water Wave)!" Naruto cried unveiling one of the C-ranked jutsu he'd gotten from his bet with Iruka.

Naruto's wave collided Sasuke's fireball, and the two opposite elements filled the area with lukewarm steam. That however wasn't enough to stop the handful of shuriken Sasuke had hidden within the flames of his jutsu, and if it weren't for his enhanced hearing Naruto would have found himself skewered by the flying stars.

"Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" Naruto cried as he used the second of his C-ranked jutsu. A sudden outburst of wind deflected the projectiles as well as dispelled the lingering steam from the area.

Noting the two boys' grins, Kakashi closed his book knowing that the real fight had begun.

As predicted they both decided on taijutsu, and although Kakashi found that Sasuke was still faster than Naruto - and almost as strong too -, Naruto's training Gouken was really starting to show results.

"It seems you finally figured out how to block Dobe," the Copy Nin heard Sasuke taunt.

Kakashi found the words to be particularly apt because before Sasuke would have mopped the floor with Naruto within the first minute of their exchange, now Sasuke had yet to land a solid blow on the blonde after five minutes of fighting.

Smiling Kakashi delighted in the fact that Naruto was no longer easy prey, which was something even Sasuke would grudgingly admit. And it was more than just blocking that Naruto learned in his short tenure with Gouken.

After Naruto rattled Sasuke's guard with a particularly chakra filled punch, Kakashi began to wonder if the dark haired prodigy would remain king of the ring for long.

"Enough!" Sasuke yelled as he leaned back to avoid another one of Naruto's punches.

Shifting his weight all onto one arm, Sasuke then shot a powerful kick between Naruto's guard into his chin before flying up from his handstand. Now airborne Sasuke wasted no time getting into position for his own personal combo.

"Shishi Rendan!" Sasuke cried as he threw his first kick from behind Naruto. Unsurprisingly the blonde blocked, but Sasuke continued on with his combination and attack from the opposite side.

From Kakashi's view, only Naruto's quick wit and danger sense saved him from getting knocked out completely, but even then the jonin could see the wind had been knocked out of him. Blurry eyed, Naruto just managed to pull of a Kawarimi and spam the area with Kage Bunshin before Sasuke's heel dropped to finish him off.

"Close… Naruto should be thankful that Iruka pushed the Academy Three," Kakashi whispered to no one in particular as he recalled the Chunin – well technically Anbu Commander level – to memory.

The man had been his team's sensei for years, and in particular Naruto's personal ninjutsu instructor. As a ninjutsu specialist himself, Kakashi knew the benefits of having an instructor, and the subtle marks a master left on a student even when they weren't working with each other.

Judging from Naruto's style of ninjutsu, Iruka taught him to use the Kage Bunshin as incredible training tool and an effective force multiplier. However even the shadow clone technique had its limits. The most obvious Kakashi saw was, the more Naruto spread himself out amongst his clones the less effective they became as a whole.

Thinking back to his experience with the technique, mainly through watching the blonde's mother use it, Kakashi could say quality won over quantity. At a less than a dozen or so, the clones were almost perfect replicas of the user, intelligently innovative and all-in-all deadly. However upward of that, they began to become little more than menial labor meant to grind away at those countless hours of perfecting jutsu while he worked on other things. As for the Naruto's rumored ability to make a thousand or so…

Kakashi could truthfully say Sasuke would have a merry ol' time killing the shit out of the thousand or so clones, given that were only a little strong than the average bandit.

Turning his attention way from the ongoing slaughter, Kakashi quickly found Naruto who was currently engaging Sakura in combat. It didn't take a jonin to notice the distinct change in the girl since the time she became genin. More precisely the enormous growth she'd made in the weeks following right after their extended stay at the hospital.

While not overly curious to what sparked the change, coming to team meetings more exhausted than usual and taking up a sudden interest in seals and poisons did strike Kakashi as strange.

So as her jonin sensei he decided to do a little snooping and found the girl had taken up puppeteering under retired the Suna jonin Okugi Ayatsuri.

'_She probably just doesn't want to be left behind,'_ Kakashi rationalized, having intentionally said to hell with respecting his student's sense of privacy.

Kami he loved being a sensei.

However just as much as he liked the total access his jonin status allowed him over his genin's personal lives, Kakashi was far more interested in gauging Sakura growth as a puppeteer – and moreover a kunoichi.

'_Excellent…'_ the silver haired jonin commended as Sakura continued to elude Naruto's pursuit with more skill than any average normal genin.

Perhaps a bit too skillful to be believable once Kakashi took into account Naruto's superior speed, chakra capacity, and sensor abilities.

'_This will require a closer look,'_ and with that the jonin unveiled his Sharingan eye and the world exploded into a mash up of chakra arrays.

Never had the Sharingan's view of the world ceased to amaze the veteran ninja, but what he found more amazing than the famed Copy Wheel Eyes was Sakura's use of her chakra.

While nowhere near as massive as Naruto's blinding star, Sakura's chakra was nigh-perfectly controlled, shown by her perfect execution of the Academy Three. Her use of the jutsu were so perfect in fact, Kakashi was tempted to say while Naruto was a master of the three, Sakura had ingrained them to instinct.

What's more is she didn't just rely on Academy knowledge to see her through, for in the two short weeks she'd been working with Ayatsuri her mastery of the chakra string technique was unprecedented.

Constantly weaving around the pinkette in a protective web, the strings seemed to branch endlessly and they latched onto Naruto every time he got close before clumsily trying to pull him into some sort of submissive hold or joint lock.

'_Hebi no Miyaru (Cobra's Bind), should be interesting to see Naruto fight against Suna's branch of taijutsu,'_ Kakashi admitted as the blonde tried to power his way through.

The exchange wasn't going well for the blonde as Naruto slowly found himself becoming more and more entrenched in Sakura's treads before finally, with a masterful manipulation of her chakra, Sakura managed to rip Naruto's ninjato from his grip.

Then with a slight flick of the wrist Sakura sent the ninjato hurtling back towards Naruto, stopping just short of performing a field tracheotomy on the immobilized blonde.

'_Well that's that,'_ Kakashi decided while snapping his book shut.

Leaping down from his perch, Kakashi was proud to say that neither of his students seemed too surprised by his entrance. Their awareness serving as a testament to the skills they'd been developing over the past month.

'_Perhaps a bit too aware…'_ however before Kakashi could follow that train of though any longer, the Naruto being held captive by Sakura's chakra strings burst into chaotic array of light and sound.

Having already experienced the flash bang clone first hand, Kakashi immediately shielded his eyes and ears with chakra, damping the effects to more manageable levels.

Sakura wasn't so lucky and feel to the ground clutching her head. Which now meant that Naruto had an unobstructed path to him.

Acting on instinct Kakashi tried to shunshin to a safe location before Naruto tag him, but little did he know that the short time the blonde spent training with Ayami would come back to bite him in the ass.

Just as Kakashi was about to flicker away, Naruto's overpowering chakra jammed his shunshin and surprised him just enough that the blonde was able to snag his copy of Icha Icha before being thrown to the ground with a complex taijutsu maneuver.

Conceding defeat Kakashi helped the blonde up, before flaring his chakra to alert the rest of the team of his presence.

Not so shortly after Sasuke came stumbling into the clearing clutching one arm and bruised all over but generally no worse for wear. While Kasumi followed right after, her hair and clothing singed but not looking the slightest bit tired.

"Good. Now that we are all in attendance," Kakashi started just as Naruto finished healing Sakura's damaged eardrums.

"A month and a half ago you all were commissioned as genin for Konoha, and in that time you have proven yourselves to be worthy of that title,"

Kakashi's words brought memories team and personal training, missions, the various things Kakashi taught them, and more importantly the things they puzzled out for themselves.

The four looked at one another, and understood what Kakashi meant. They'd come a long way since been training to genin, but it wasn't until Kakashi that they started training to be shinobi.

"However now a call has come that is greater than the mantle of genin, possibly even for a jonin, but because of the dire straights our village's faces the task will fall to you,"

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei," Sakura voiced aloud, speaking for the team as a whole.

"Team Seven, you have been chosen by the Hokage to protect this generation's Will of Fire. Sandaime has held this honor during his genin days, as well as the Sanin, and my very own genin squad. This path is long, and filled with blood and sacrifice, but if you survive…"

"What happens Kakashi-sensei?" this time Naruto speaking for the three.

"Konoha will continue to shine brightly with three new legends under her name,"

And with that Team Seven stepped into the true shinobi world.

* * *

"Well so much for our first C-rank mission," Ino groused as another wave of bandits appeared from beneath the foliage.

Their mission had been simple; relay a communiqué to the Fire Daimyo from the Hokage. However the real reasoning behind the mission was meant to get teams used to travelling outside the village, while completing the bimonthly updates the Fire Daimyo demanded from his shinobi forces.

That part of the mission went smoothly and Team Ten arrived with several days to spare in their allotted travel time, which ended up being spent at the Temple of Fire where Asuma caught up with some of his old Fire Guardian friends.

Ino had her suspicions about the 'likelihood' of all this being random, especially when she considered how fast of a pace their normally lackadaisical her sensei set for their travels and how informed the Guardians seemed to be when it came to training them.

Suspicions aside though, Ino found that she didn't care too much about the maneuverings seeing as she got two weeks of advanced water elemental and weapons training out of the bargain.

And it was training that was put to good use as Ino sidestepped her opponent's clumsy attempt to bash her with his club, before removing the offending limb with the blade hidden within her umbrella. The shikomizue cut through the bandits arm with little resistance, a testament to its make and her growth in skill, and before the man could hit the ground a second flash severed his head from his shoulders.

Sparing a glance to her team, Ino was treated to the rare sight of her sensei when he was serious. Needless to say when tearing though men with his wind powered trench knives and scorching the earth with his ash based Katon jutsu, Asuma seemed ever bit the prodigal son of the Legendary Professor.

Flanking their sensei Ino noted that Shikamaru was in rare form as well, the shadow user immobilizing his opponents with his clan jutsu before tearing them apart with the trench knives just like Asuma.

'_Funny that the laziest person I know has the most hyper active chakra nature,'_ Ino mused as the faint keening noise from Shikamaru's lightning charged blades reached her ears.

Finally her eyes landed on Chouji who, despite being the nicest person she'd ever known, was wearing the fiercest expression she'd ever seen. Shockingly she found it fit him well with the way he was swinging around his Sansetsukon like a war staff and altering his body composition with his family jutsu and medical techniques.

'_Who would have guessed lil' ole Chouji had it in him'_ Ino thought as her teammate cut down the leader and last of the bandits with an oversized fist. However just as Chouji turned away from his opponent the man sprang forth from the grave and before Ino knew it, she'd completed the seals for her family's mind swap jutsu.

"_Wave country's dried up,"… "A new mission boss,"… "To Rice Country!"… "Name's Yoroi, I will be acting as your contact,"_

And with that the jumble of thoughts were cut off as Chouji stepped between Ino and bandit, severing the connection, before sending the leader to the grave for good this time.

"Ino, Ino? Are you all right? Ino?" Ino could barely make out, almost convinced that there was a touch of urgency in Chouji's voice, but chalked it up to her altered state of mind.

Whatever happened, it was not the Shintenshin no jutsu (Mind Body Swap Technique), and she was struggling to make sense of the visions she'd seen. Slowly it dawned to her that she'd inadvertently read the bandit leader's mind and stumbled onto something big.

"I'm fine," Ino started as she rose to her feet, thankful for Chouji's steady hand that saved her from eating turf as she found her footing.

"But Konoha won't be if we don't get this information back quickly," Ino finished, as began relaying what she could make of the man's memories to her team.

* * *

Kurenai lowered her kunai wearily as she continued to scan for any additional threats. The intelligence Asuma's team brought in just prior to her team's departure was top notch, and she was thankful for the heads up about the Wave's current state of affairs.

Bandit and nuke-nin were running rampant, and although her genin team took out the three Ame genin and their Hazy clone genjutsu technique without much effort, her instincts told her a much larger predator was still in the area.

She was right.

Dodging a hail of senbon by just the hairs width, Kurenai was thankful for the small boon when Kiba announced that he smelled poison on the needles. Acting quickly Kurenai began weaving a genjutsu around herself and her team, and within moments Team Eight disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

However Konoha's genjutsu mistress wasn't done yet. Without stopping, Kurenai continued her sealing, layering her genjutsu with two others: one that made it seem as if the whirling leaves were the tail end of a shunshin jutsu and another that recreated her and her students in a nearby location.

Once completed she made sure her students could still maintain sensory contact with one another before barking her orders.

"Hinata I need you to get eyes on this guy! Shino tag him once visual confirmation has been established! Kiba keep sniffing for any other poisons; the faster you can trace the scent the faster we can nail him!"

And Team Eight did just that, fulfilling every tracking dream the Konoha Opts Department had for them and more.

"The target is at 10 o'clock about 20 meters from our position. He is armed with battled umbrella and some sort of chakra weapon and is moving towards the dummy team northeast of here," Hinata reported as she continued to track the man with her Byakugan.

"My female kikai has tagged the target, his reserves are still fresh and lingering somewhere above your own," Shino continued as he tried to place more kikai onto their opponent without revealing himself.

"Kurenai-sensei, I don't smell any other poisons on him other than the one that is coating his senbon. Also Akamaru got a whiff of that chakra weapon and says its from Konoha, an old weapon at that and dangerous too," Kiba finished as he took off toward their opponent in unison.

Normally Kurenai would have told her students to stay back in face of an opponent with jonin level reserves. However their opponent seemed far too careless to be a full-fledged jonin and, if his reliance poison and chakra weapon were any indicator, didn't have a solid skill base outside of the norm.

Bearing that in mind Kurenai wove another genjutsu, one of the Demonic Hell Viewing variant, just as her team moved to attack.

The sudden jarring image of his own skin being melted from his body was enough to suppress any reaction the Ame jonin may have had when Hinata opened up their assault with a taijutsu combination.

The heiress's dual tutelage under her father and Master Gen did wonders for her battle prowess, and with a combination that was one part Jyuuken, another part sai wielding, and finally part Ansatsuken Sou Ryuu (Murderous Fist Mourning Style) Hinata tore into the man with little hesitation.

Unfortunately just before the petite heiress could deliver the coup de grace, a sai to each temple, the man replaced himself with Kawarimi leaving a log to be utterly destroyed by the spike of chakra from the girl's weapon.

That however didn't stop the swarm of kikai from ambushing him from all directions. Struggling the jonin tried using his umbrella-senbon combination, only to find that the insects were too small and numerous to be defeated in such a way.

"Enough! Time to show you the might of the Nidaime Hokage!" the jonin announced from beneath the swarm of kikai, giving Kurenai the final clue she needed to I.D. their opponent.

'_Nidaime's might…_ Kiba stop!" the woman yelled but it was too late, Kiba had already stepped into his Gatsuga.

A roar of thunder confirmed her fears as Aoi Rokusho unleashed the power of the Nidaime's Raijin no Ken, and the sound of crackling electricity filled the air as Shino's kikai were driven to near extinction by the man's impromptu bug zapper.

Before Kurenai knew it she was signing seals for another genjutsu while activating a Kawarimi between herself and Kiba. The effects were almost instantaneous as Kiba was teleported to safety and Kurenai took what would have been a deathblow for her student if it weren't for her Shinkeigi (Nerve Deception) genjutsu.

A nerve splitting pain shot through the jonin as chakra blade passed through her, fortunately she was able to keep her wits about her and ensnare Aoi in another genjutsu. While simple in theory, the fear inducing genjutsu was deviously complex to execute and took all of her concentration to etch the profound fear for his life into Aoi's subconscious.

Through her wavering vision Kurenai could see the effects of her genjutsu taking hold, and almost instantaneously a pale hue took hold of nuke-nin's features before the man bolted as if the Shinigami was reaching for his soul. So complete was his terror that Aoi didn't even try to defend himself as Kiba moved to intercept him.

Content with the knowledge that genin team would be safe Kurenai allowed her consciousness to slip, the last thing her eyes seeing being Hinata descending onto her with softly glowing hands.

* * *

Kurenai swore at the idiocy of the man before her. Daimyo or not, Lord Kagen, was going to find himself in the worst genjutsu she could muster if he didn't stop spouting off stupidity and start listening to reason.

She and her team nearly died in their encounter with Aoi Rokusho, a jonin level missing-nin with a powerful artifact to boot, and the man still wasn't listening to reason.

Konoha had good intelligence that there was a mounting revolt slowly taking shape within the country, but the daimyo acted as if it was all just rumors and happenstance. If it weren't for the delicacy of her wounds, and the uncharacteristically stern orders Hinata had given her not to aggravate them, Kurenai would have been sorely tempted to throttle the man with her bare hands while a genjutsu ravaged his mind for putting them all in danger.

Fortunately for Kagen, Gai saw Kurenai's growing irritation and stopped the woman from assaulting the Daimyo with a pointed look. Kurenai's gaze screamed mutiny before she quickly reigned herself in after realizing: A Gai had more experience both as a jonin and with Lord Kagen, and be having to tell the Hokage – her boyfriend's father – that she botched the mission because of her inability to control herself was not something she'd look forward to.

"Lord Kagen I must implore you again, your country will be teeming with bandits and brigands of the lowest kind within a weeks time if you don't allow us to attack them now,"

"And again Shinobi-san I must ask why waste your time killing a bunch of dirty peasants when we have assurance that these men will be taken care of," the lord dismissed as he motioned to the two individuals at his side,"

"My Lord you have our assurance that Gatou-san is using his every resource to ensure that your nation remains safe from harm," Haku asserted after stepping out from behind Zabuza and addressing the daimyo with a bow.

Having known the daimyo's weakness for women, particularly young women, Zabuza allowed Haku to forgo for normal male disguise and show her true shelf.

And show herself she did, as Haku pulled all the stops in her outfit, changing from a slightly effeminate male to a beauty that rivaled even the richest lord's oiran. The payoff was obvious seeing as the gullible lord couldn't take his eyes off the young woman, nor could he doubt a word the she said.

"Yes even the wealthiest man this side of Konoha is giving his assurance nothing will go wrong, so as I said before Shinobi-san my decision stands," Kagen iterated as he made a shooing motion to the two jonin.

Tersely Gai and Kurenai bowed before quickly departing from the room.

"That idiot can't he tell that those two are merely playing him," Kurenai roared as soon as they reached their quarters. The Konoha nin were all being lodged in an offshoot of the Wave Lord's samurai barrack.

The Wave country's military strength had never been large, maybe only two thousand strong before the economy tanked, but now it wasn't even a shadow of its former self.

"Obvious not, and with only a one hundred and fifty samurai on our side well be overrun in a matter of hours if all these bandits were to lay siege at once," Gai replied as he tried to think up a plan.

With the Daimyo all but ignoring the crisis slowly coming to a head, Gai realized that he may have to break the Lord's explicit order not to engage the enemy forces if he wanted his team to make it out of here alive.

"Kurenai gather the genin," the burly taijutsu master ordered in a low voice.

Snapping her eyes up to the normally jubilant jonin, Kurenai went against her better judgment and hesitated in following through with the order.

"What do you have planned Gai?" the woman wondered aloud concern easily discernable from her wavering voice.

"If the daimyo won't act then we must. Hopefully the Hokage has sent additional aid by now, and we will be able to coordinate with them once create a suitable base of operations,"

"What about the daimyo? As infuriating as he is abandoning this post will only cause problems for us in the long run, especially once Gatou gets wind what we'll have done to his hired help," Kurenai protested quietly. She was treading on dangerous ground questioning her senior officer in what had been declared a warzone by their Hokage, however Gai didn't seem to be at all irritated with his colleague and instead focused on the task at hand.

"Normally yes, but with the daimyo having placed his trust in Zabuza of the Mist and his associate out there, I doubt our presence here will be of much use unless we can reveal their true nature to his Lordship,"

"So what's your plan on accomplishing that?"

"Simple, we get one of those lowlifes to admit Gatou is behind all of this," Gai uttered with an uncharacteristically cruel grin.

* * *

Clap Clap

Kakashi fell to a knell as he paid his respects to his ancestors passed. Going through the long list of Hatake, the young stopped at the latest addition to the honored fallen.

His own father…

"Otou-sama, I think you'd be proud to here that it's finally happened. A team, my team, is finally ready to take up that old mantle and protect Konoha from all of her enemies. Its still a long ways away, but I think they will do just fine. Each of them holds Konoha dearly to their heart, but more importantly they hold each other closer to their heart,"

Having said his peace Kakashi rose from the ground before giving one last look to the slow burning incense in the small shrine. Feeling that his father's soul, and the message he died delivering, still lived on today; Kakashi didn't hesitate when he lifted his ancestral blade and secured to the familiar spot on his back.

Turning without a word the son of the White Fang departed from his home to meet his team, ready to face the Land of Waves and the dangers it would hold.

Read and Review

Jutsu Logue

**Hibikiken** (Echoing Fist): Is a form of taijutsu created within the land of Iron by some of the oldest samurai clans in existence, the style's primary function is utilizing chakra to bypass any sort of armor and attack the vulnerable tissue underneath. This is accomplished by perfectly tuning ones chakra so that it vibrates throughout an opponent once contact is made, thus echoing through their bodies, and causing anywhere from temporary paralysis to massive damage to their bone structure and organs with each blow.

While eerie similar to the Hyuuga Clan's Jyuuken form; the Hibikiken more resembles the ancient Bajiquan form (known in Japan as Hakkyokuken or the Eight Extreme Fists/Rake Fist). Meanwhile the Hyuuga's teachings are founded in the ancient Baguaquan, more specifically Piguaquan (known in Japan as Hikaken/Chop Hanging Fist), making them a perfect counterpart to the Hibikiken.

**Shinkeigi** (Nerve Deception): _High B-ranked Genjutsu._ Created by Yuhi Kurenai that utilizes extensive knowledge of the human anatomy and biology to send false signals from the brain to the nerves tricking them into 'thinking' they've been assaulted, coupled with an perception altering eye jutsu, the jutsu is highly effective as a taijutsu counter.

**Ansatsuken Gi Ryuu/Ansatsuken Sou Ryuu** (Murderous Fist Hateful Style/Murderous Fist Mourning Style): Are the two sister taijutsu forms created by Hyuuga Gen, after he exiled himself from the Hyuuga clan. Taking the cold emotionless forms of Jyuuken and infusing them each with his hatred and mourning respectively, Gen was able to create two styles that drew from all the strengths of Jyuuken but were still usable by none Byakugan users. While normally such flexibility would be sacrilege against the Hyuuga way, many find that the added flexibility makes the practitioners of Gen's styles far more deadly.

**Hebi no Miyaru** (Cobra's Bind): Is a form of taijutsu developed in Suna to take advantage of a puppeteer's expertise with chakra strings while reducing their weakness to close range combatants. Its teachings allow puppeteers to grapple and submit their opponents into with the help of their chakra strings with a combination of joint locks, choke out holds, and nerve strikes. The art is loosely based off of Brazilian jujitsu with a bit of a puppeteer's flair.

A/N:

I know I know half as long and twice as late, but I couldn't find a good place to end it if I kept writing from here. I'm pretty sure I'll have the Wave arc wrapped up by the next chapter, which is good because that's were most of the main divergences from canon will begin. This chapter was mainly a set up, and I apologize if it tried to do too many things at once. Next chapter will be similar but at least I can promise a lot of action, this time with a great amount of detail. Damn I can't wait to really show off what team seven can do.

Also before I post the next Rookie Team's stats, I'd like to clarify that the reason Kasumi was able to keep up with Sasuke but Naruto wasn't is because all her youki is diverted to stabilizing her body. This is because youki is inherently more powerful than chakra, so all her physical stats (speed, strength, stamina) get a 1 to 1.5 boost. Now her ninjutsu and genjutsu stats drop to 0, which is obviously, a shit trade but as I've describe in the chapters they are working on it. Now for Team Eight's Stats.

**Progress Report Team Eight**

**Kiba**

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Close Range Combat Specialist/Tracking

Stats: Ninjutsu 2.5/5, Taijutsu 2.5/5, Genjutsu 0.5/ 5,Intelligence 1.5/5, Strength 3/5, Speed 4/5, Stamina 2/5, Handseals 1.5/5 Total: **19**

Raw Level: High Genin-Low Chunin

Skills: Academy Trio, Enhanced Senses, Clan ninjutsu

Strengths: Teamwork (Especially with Akamaru), Speed and Agility, Enhanced Senses, And Loyalty

Weakness: Chakra control, Rash, Temperamental, Arrogance, And Sometimes Dimwitted

Notes: Is muscle of the squad and is extremely loyal to his village, clan, and team. Is willing to put his life on the line for them, and is often rash enough to try it. However his confidence is what often propels his teams to new heights, whether it is by encouraging them to do so or by getting them into so much trouble they have to in order to survive. Currently being looked at as a possible Hunter nin recruit.

**Shino **

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Long Range Support/Tracking

Stats: Ninjutsu 3.5/5, Taijutsu 1.5/5, Genjutsu 2/5, Intelligence 4/5, Strength 1.5/5, Speed 2/5, Stamina 2.5/5, Handseals 3/5 Total: **20**

Raw Level: Low Chunin

Skills: Academy Trio, Kikai Insects (and mutations), Clan ninjutsu

Strengths: Calm, Collect and Calculating Mind frame, Strategist, And Does Well Under Pressure

Weakness: Solitary, Hard to Interact With, And Lacks Innovation

Notes: The brain of the Team Eight. Is the silent motor that pushes the team along whenever Kiba's brash behavior doesn't demand it upfront. Is brilliant but is also predictable in the sense he follows protocol too closely. Currently being looked at as a possible Hunter nin recruit.

**Hinata**

Rank: Genin

Specialty: Close Range Combat Specialist/Tracking/Medic

Stats: Ninjutsu 2.5/5, Taijutsu 3.5/5, Genjutsu 1.5/5, Intelligence 3.5/5, Strength 2/5, Speed 3/5, Stamina 2/5, Handseals 2.5/5 Total: **20.5**

Raw Level: Low Chunin

Skills: Academy Trio, Byakugan (and Supplementary Clan ninjutsu), Jyuuken, Ansatsuken Sou Ryuu, Medical Jutsu

Strengths: High Chakra Control, Intelligent, And Adaptive

Weakness: Wavering Self Confidence, Family Problems

Notes: Is considered the Heart of Team Eight. Their movements and motivations beat around her, despite her ignorance of such things. However she cares for her team greatly and would not take advantage of it even if she were aware. Currently being looked at as a possible Hunter nin/Medic Second Class recruit.

Well aside from that expect a Through the Shadow of Death update next (my Naruto Bleach crossover) followed by the conclusion of the Wave arc here. I'm planning on finishing them both up both Christmas but looking at my current track record, I make no promises ;). Anyway thanks again for reading, and till next time…

Black Saint

Completed: 12/12/10


	11. Parting Words

Parting Words

So once again I find myself doing this. It's been a good run, but honestly I'm no longer interested in this fic (probably due to trying to do the Wave arc yet again). Anyway I'll keep it posted for anyone who still wants to read, but as it stands this fic is dead.


End file.
